Image Credit: Jefferson County Schools
The Tennessee Conservative [By David Seal]-
It took two election cycles for Jefferson County voters to elect a no-nonsense conservative majority to the school board that is willing to address critical issues.
Their voting pattern has been paying off for students and staff since two new members were seated in September 2024 to round-out the new majority.
After years of backlogged maintenance requests and capital needs, the new majority wasted no time in pressing for nearly $11 million for capital, renovation, and maintenance needs at their November 4, 2024, meeting that includes HVAC, roofing, sports facility lighting, energy conservation projects, and paving. The remaining board members followed.
Chairman Josh Cameron (R-Talbott) immediately appointed a committee that has been tasked with making sure the maintenance issues are finally solved through a transparent process. He is calling on stakeholders to get involved.
“Our students, teachers, TA’s, administrators, cafeteria workers, janitorial staff, maintenance, office staff, etc. deserve quality places to learn and work in. Taxpayers of Jefferson County also deserve to see their dollars spent wisely and our schools maintained at a level that is better than “acceptable”. Our hope for this committee is that we can achieve those goals.” – said Chairman Josh Cameron
Taxpayers and county officials have been urging school leaders for years to properly maintain schools with many citing founding father Benjamin Franklin’s famous statement “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” They were tired of seeing school buildings fall into decay, costing citizens more in the long run.
As one speaker at a recent meeting said, “the money we save in preserving our [school] buildings will mean that we have more financial resources for educating our kids.”
Chairman Cameron has used his authority to appoint School Board Member Paul Hardy (R-Strawberry Plains) to chair a new committee tasked with making sure the job of school maintenance gets done. Hardy’s School Building and Maintenance Committee will include other board members, school system employees, the director of schools, citizens, and the district maintenance supervisor.
“It is long past time for the school board to address critical maintenance needs, especially at Rush Strong School. Our playground is a disgrace, the sewer system has had long standing problems, and it took years to get the roof fixed. It seems like our community school in Strawberry Plains is always the last one to get attention. It is good to see that our school board now has the leadership to address the needs of all schools, not just certain favorites.” – Said Commissioner Rob Blevins (R-Strawberry Plains).
The school district, at Cameron’s direction, has provided a link for interested people to apply for membership on the committee. Application for Building and Maintenance Committee Membership
The scope and purpose of the new committee is well defined and linked here.
Chairman Cameron’s full statement can be seen at the link provided here.
About the Author: David Seal is a retired Jefferson County educator, recognized artist, local businessman, 917 Society Volunteer, and current Chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. He has also served Jefferson County as a County Commissioner and is a citizen lobbyist for the people on issues such as eminent domain, property rights, education, and broadband accessibility on the state level. David is also a 2024 winner of The Tennessee Conservative Flame Award & has received an accolade from the Institute For Justice for successfully lobbing the TN legislature to protect property rights. David can be reached at david@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
