School board candidate forum

A forum for candidates seeking the District 7 Hamilton County school board seat had only two debaters Friday since the third hopeful has dropped out of the race.

Kevin Burke, 23, decided to withdraw from the race, saying that between finishing school at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and running his Varsity Team Sports & Apparel business, he didn’t have enough time to dedicate to District 7 constituents.

“I’d be great at it, and I have a good chance to win, but the timing isn’t right,” he said.

Mr. Burke said he will not publicly endorse either of the remaining candidates, Linda Mosley and Michael Dzik.

During a luncheon hosted by the Southeast Tennessee Political Action Committee, Ms. Mosley and Mr. Dzik spent a little over an hour Friday answering questions about their positions on school issues.

The candidates disagreed little, voicing support for system Superintendent Jim Scales, greater authority for school principals, the school system’s recently approved balanced budget and keeping the ability to tax out of the hands of the Hamilton County Board of Education.

When it comes to violence in schools, the candidates also agreed something needs to be done.

Mr. Dzik, executive director of the Jewish Community Federation of Greater Chattanooga, had a more long-term approach to the problem, saying the district might partner with the community to offer parenting classes.

“When I was a student and did something wrong, I knew my punishment was at home,” he said. “That’s the problem. Kids aren’t disciplined at home.”

But Ms. Mosley said increasing parental involvement district-wide will take time and, until that happens, schools face a safety issue.

“We could investigate hiring retired police officers to be (school resource officers) and pay them one-third to one-fourth the amount as active-duty officers,” she said. “We need to address the problem now and make sure it doesn’t get worse.”

The Southeast Tennessee Political Action Committee is a nonpartisan organization that supports causes and candidates for local and state government. Both Mr. Dzik and Ms. Mosley said they hoped to earn the group’s endorsement.

The winning candidate, who will replace current school board member Joe Conner, must work closely with the Hamilton County Commission, said Commissioner Larry Henry, who represents District 7.

“Joe and I have not always agreed, but we’ve stayed in constant communication,” he said. “I look forward to working with any of these people.”

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