Tim Boyd
Hamilton County Commissioners are once again trying to reboot meetings with school board members. But this time, they are starting with small bites.
Commissioner Tim Boyd, who leads the commission's education committee, told committee members today he wants them to start building relations with their counterparts on the school board - and specifically members of the board's facilities management committee.
Past efforts to arrange meetings between the full commission and school board have idled for years. The lack of communication has built tension between the school board and the commission when large education projects need funding, Boyd said.
This time, they are going to start with smaller groups.
Boyd says he hopes the two committees will meet ahead of the winter holidays, and then again before budget-making time in spring.
"If we can just do that, not try to bring everybody to a table, but just six people," Boyd said. "We can't just sit back here with both barrels cocked waiting for them to do something."
Commissioner Chester Bankston, a former school board member, said communication between the two bodies is key.
"I think if each commissioner makes it a point to have a good relationship with their school board member, it will make it a lot easier when you have to bring it together," Bankston told members of the committee today.
Read more in Thursday's Chattanooga Times Free Press.