TO GET INVOLVEDBusinesses interested in participating in the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce's Southside Council, or in any of the Chamber's councils, may contact Mandy Senn at 423-763-4368. Businesses interested in the Chamber's International Council may contact Gladys Pineda-Loher at gpineda-loher@chattanoogachamber.com
Business representatives should spend time in the schools mentoring students and allowing students to job shadow them, educators said Thursday.
"We want them to partner with us to help get kids through school, not just give us money," said Lee McDade, Lookout Valley Middle School principal.
McDade was one of 10 educators on an education panel that spoke Thursday to about 30 business representatives at the South Chattanooga Recreation Center. The business representatives were participants in the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce's Southside Council.
"What's the greatest need of your school?" asked moderator Jed Mescon, WRCB-TV Channel 3 anchor, to start the discussion.
Heidi Chapin of Calvin Donaldson Environmental Science Academy mentioned finding ways to show teachers appreciation, constructing a nature play area and renovating a building.
Katrina Gravitte of Clifton Hills Elementary School said basic needs such as lice shampoo, school uniforms, belts and feminine hygiene products would be appreciated.
Paul Smith, principal of Howard School of Academics and Technology, said he wants more vocational classes such as culinary arts and auto mechanics offered at his school.
"Education is so much more than algebra and English," Smith said.
East Side Elementary, East Lake Elementary and East Lake Academy of Fine Arts also had representatives on the panel.
David Babb, president of the Chamber's Southside Council, said he wanted to increase the business representatives' awareness of the school system's needs. The council has made $1,000 donations to the system in years past, he said, and this year it gave $1,000 to Junior Achievement. The money is slated to help four South Chattanooga schools.
Babb said this is the first time the Chamber has organized an education panel discussion in the three years he has participated with the group. The goal is to connect businesses to schools, he said.
"It's just about awareness," Babb said. "There is a lot of good going on in the schools, and we have a lot of interested and engaged business owners who want to help."
Some business owners said they would be glad to spend a day in South Chattanooga schools.
"It would be good to see what the kids are doing in the schools rather than just hearing about it in the media," said Justin Dumsday, an architect at Artech Design Group.
Mescon suggested having a website where teachers could have a wishlist of needs.