School board rejects resolution asking state to amend third grade retention law
A proposed resolution requesting the Tennessee General Assembly amend the third-grade retention law failed to win support of the Hamilton County school board Thursday evening.
The resolution, sponsored by Republican board member Gary Kuehn, Ooltewah, and Democrat board member Ben Connor, Chattanooga, asked legislators to allow school districts to make retention decisions for third- and fourth-grade students.
But it didn’t win the necessary six votes to pass, with three no votes and three absences on the 11-member board.
Republicans Rhonda Thurman of Hixson, Joe Wingate of Chattanooga and Faye Robinson of Ooltewah voted no.
Three board members were absent: Joe Smith, R-Hixson; Larry Grohn, R-East Ridge; and Connor.
The law, which took effect in the 2022–23 school year, requires third graders who do not score proficiently on the English language arts portion of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program to receive additional tutoring or risk retention. That tutoring would take place in the summer and possibly during the student’s fourth-grade year.
Prior to the vote, Kuehn stressed the importance of passing the resolution as the legislature is set to revisit the law in the coming days.
“I hope that we as a Board of Education for Hamilton County will look at what’s best for our students and our parents and our teachers and show support with right now 21 other school systems in the state of Tennessee that have turned in these resolutions,” Kuehn said. “You cannot base a child’s retention on one indicator, one test.”
Thurman said she wouldn’t be signing the resolution.
“The reason is not that I agree with everything about it, because I have talked to some teachers about this,” Thurman said. “I’m just glad that somebody is finally doing something about the reading in schools.”
Thurman added that she’s glad the state is holding school districts accountable.
“Seems that nobody wants to be accountable,” Thurman said. “Somebody is going to have to start being accountable. And I think this is probably one of the first ways to do that. I’m personally glad that the state is taking this on because until children can read, nothing else matters.”
Other board members expressed opposition to the law.
“I am not in support of the third-grade retention law,” Karitsa Jones, D-Chattanooga, said. “I have not been from the beginning because I just really struggle with legislators with no educational background creating a law and asking professionals with education and degrees to execute it in fidelity but they didn’t have a say in it. That really really concerns me.”
Marco Perez, an independent from Signal Mountain, agreed with Jones.
“This law is not a good law as it’s written,” Perez said. “And we as Hamilton County are requesting that our legislators understand that the law, as written, is no good to base the future of students on one test.”
Wingate was initially torn on the resolution.
“I’m strongly considering, for only the second time I sit with you on this board, not voting at all,” Wingate said. “I don’t know that the law has been written well. I think the law probably has been constructed under the guise of being expedient as opposed to being excellent. But also am not sure that I wouldn’t want to see some changes.”
He ultimately voted against the resolution.
The vote comes months after several teachers and community members asked the board to submit a resolution to the state.
In September, Cortney Fugate, a Hamilton County teacher, launched a petition calling on Tennessee legislators to reconsider. It has since amassed more than 2,600 signatures.
Fugate went before the school board in December to ask members to submit a resolution.
“Parents, teachers and students in Hamilton County need to know that our school board supports students and not the new retention law,” Fugate told board members at December’s board meeting.
As it stands, 62% of third graders are not yet proficient in English language arts, according to the district’s latest benchmark scores. That includes students with disabilities, English language learners and those who have already been retained — students otherwise exempt from the retention law.
District officials previously told the Chattanooga Times Free Press they do not expect to retain a significant number of students. However, they are required to provide additional tutoring.
“The good news is, is this law is requiring that these kids get extra support, which I do think is something that’s needed,” Director of Student Acceleration Breckan Duckworth said previously in a phone call.
Lawmakers have filed at least 18 proposals to address concerns about the law. Some would remove the law completely, while others would keep the law but extend related state-funded summer and after-school programs.
They will continue reviewing the proposed bills in the coming days.