“State of the System” Unveils Opportunity 2030
A crowd of 175 listening to Dr. Justin Robertson and others describe Opportunity 2030 at the State of the System.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- For the first time in four years, Hamilton County Schools held their annual State of the System address.
A crowd of about 175 guests gathered at the former Cigna building on Goodwin Road in East Brainerd for tonight’s presentation.
There was celebration of how Hamilton County Schools have weathered the COVID-19 pandemic and the achievements they say they’ve accomplished.
However, tonight was a night for Hamilton County Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson and the rest of the school system, to think about what could be possible by the turn of the next decade.
Dr. Robertson said, “What we hope came across, number one, is that we’ve got to create opportunities by design for students, and that we really need the community to pitch in and be a part of our next seven years.”
Opportunity 2030 represents a new chapter for Hamilton County Schools.
The plan, released and explained in detail Thursday evening, outlines numerous goals for the Hamilton County School system to achieve in the next seven years.
These are broken down into what are called five commitments.
These commitments are called Every Student Learns, Every Student Belongs, Every School Equipped, Every Employee Valued, and Every Community Served.
Each commitment has three objectives that if achieved, Hamilton County says will place the school system in a great position.
Dr. Robertson said, “We wanted to show kind of how this plan has been developed by the voices that we’ve heard.”
Students, parents, and faculty from across Hamilton County shared their experiences within the school system.
The excitement for the plan extends outside the school system.
Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp said, “What we’re going to do is come alongside Dr. Robertson and his team and educators across the community and support what they’re doing in every way that we can. My promise to him from my first day was to bring more horsepower, to bring the business community, to bring the weight and influence of the county government behind him. My counterpart, the mayor of Chattanooga (Tim Kelly), feels the same way.
Mayor Wamp also thanks Governor Bill Lee and the state government for providing a record amount of funding for education through the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement, or TISA.
Wamp said, “But even the TISA funding formula which there had been rumors about what that might mean, is beginning to be a clearer picture of the upside, the tremendous upside, and the dollars specifically that flow to increasing and encouraging students to pursue a career or technical pathway.”
The potential of the students, no matter their interests, was the theme of the night.
Dr. Robertson said, “Some kids connected through audio/visual, some kids connected through art, some kids connected through athletics, so we’re trying to show as much as possible our intent to create opportunities by design and that’s what the kids were able to do.”
Interested parties can now view the Opportunity 2030 Plan in detail on the Hamilton County School System’s website.
Additionally, there will be several community budget planning meetings coming up for the 2024 budget to begin this Opportunity 2030 Plan.
The first one of those is on February 22nd at 6 p.m.
