... For everyone else

Thousands of students — 43,830 to be exact — will be returning to classrooms across Hamilton County on Wednesday.

The first day of school often means fresh haircuts and new shoes, double-checking class rosters and packing lunches once again.

It also means school zone traffic and school buses on the road, students at bus stops at dawn and can mean frustration and stress for commuters or those who don’t have children in school.

Here are some things to know as Hamilton County’s teachers and students return to class Wednesday.

1. Watch out for big yellow buses.

The vast majority of Hamilton County’s students ride the bus to school, and more students and parents will be on the road as school starts back up.

There are 842 bus routes across the county and there will be 238 total buses on the road Wednesday, so be on the lookout for stop signs and bus stops. This school year kicks off the district’s agreement with new

transportation provider, First Student Inc.

Tennessee law requires anyone traveling in either direction to stop when a school bus has its stop sign out. The only exception is when a highway is divided by a concrete or grass median.

2. Don’t speed or use your phone in school zones.

Most school zone speed limits are 15 or 25 mph.

In 2018, a new law went into effect banning any and all uses of cellphones by drivers in school zones, but this year the use of cellphones while driving anywhere in Tennessee is banned.

Tennesseans who use hand-held mobile phones while driving face fines of up to $50 under the bill that was approved during this year’s legislative session and went into effect July 1.

3. School hours differ across the county.

With more than 74 schools operating across Hamilton County, your commute might encounter different active school zones at different times. Start times are not standard across the district. Class begins as early as 7:15 a.m. for students at schools including Brown Middle, East Ridge High and Hixson High and as late as 9 a.m. for other schools such as Chattanooga High Center for Creative Arts and Tyner Middle.

This year, eight schools have new start times, which might make the day extra exciting for some students and parents.

4. Your tax dollars pay for public education.

At the same time educators will be ramping up class on Wednesday, the Hamilton County Commission will be deciding just how many taxpayer dollars should go to public schools. The commission is expected to vote on the county’s fiscal year 2020 budget, which includes $418 million for Hamilton County Schools, on Wednesday.

Local tax revenue is one of the largest funders of the county school district and how much property taxpayers pay is significant, as was evident this summer as commissioners debated whether to raise taxes in order to increase funding for schools. (Spoiler alert: They didn’t raise taxes).

5. You can make a difference in the classroom.

On average, teachers spend about $450 a year buying supplies for their classrooms, according to Erin Kirby, an induction specialist with Hamilton County Schools. And many teachers say they spend more than twice that.

Dozens of organizations including churches, service groups and more hold supply drives for both students and teachers.

Kirby is helping head up a classroom supply drive for first-year teachers in Hamilton County. For more information, contact Mallary Netterville at netterville_m@hcde.org or Erin Kirby at kirby_erin@hcde.org.

Also, check with your church or favorite local nonprofit to see how you can donate school supplies.