Skip to main content
Wednesday, October 28, 2026Oct 28

This story is free to read.

Hamilton County school board to honor Dolly Parton at special meeting

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Sara Lee, right, reads a book with Knox Wright, 3, at Signal Centers on Sept. 5, 2024. Signal Centers manages the local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program.
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Sara Lee, right, reads a book with Knox Wright, 3, at Signal Centers on Sept. 5, 2024. Signal Centers manages the local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program. Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Sara Lee, right, reads a book with Knox Wright, 3, at Signal Centers on Sept. 5, 2024. Signal Centers manages the local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program.

The Hamilton County Board of Education will meet Tuesday for a special meeting to recognize the contributions of the late Dolly Parton.

A resolution honoring Parton, sponsored by Ben Connor, D-North Chattanooga, is being presented to the school board in the wake of the music legend’s death last week.

The resolution highlights Parton’s contributions to literacy in Tennessee.

Parton’s Imagination Library, established through the Dollywood Foundation in 1995, originally provided free books to children in Sevier County but was expanded statewide in 2004.

Now, more than 14,000 children in Hamilton County — ages birth to 5 — receive free books through the program each month.