School Matters Week of 10/25/2021

On Wednesday of last week, the Chamber of Commerce conducted its Annual Industrial Appreciation breakfast. During this ceremony, a number of business/industrial leaders were recognized for their contributions to our local economy and community. I was impressed to hear the statistics associated with our local industries and the strength of our manufacturing presence.

Morristown and Hamblen County have been some of the state’s most successful recruiters of regional, national, and international industries for years. Hamblen County is the third smallest county in terms of land size but has the ninth heaviest concentration of industry in the state of Tennessee. Over 24% of employees in Morristown/Hamblen County are employed in manufacturing which translates to over 10,000 people. The East Tennessee Valley Industrial District was developed by the City of Morristown in the mid-1960s and was the second municipally funded industrial park in the state of Tennessee. Since that time, the City of Morristown has developed two additional industrial districts which include the Morristown Airport Industrial District and the East Tennessee Progress Center.

There are nearly 100 manufacturing and industrial-related companies located in Morristown and Hamblen County. We are home to 12 international companies which represent 6 different countries. The investment made by manufacturing and industrial-related companies during 2020 and 2021 totaled over $181 million and created 700 new jobs. Over the past 10 years, the investment made by manufacturing and industrial-related companies has been over $1 billion dollars. These new investments have created some 3,500 new jobs. Currently the largest employer is Koch Foods with 1,000 employees. There are six other companies that employ over 500 people. These companies include MAHLE Engine Components, Team Technologies, Howmet Aerospace, JTEKT Automotive, Rich Products and Tuff Torq Corporation. Even during the pandemic, several of our industries continued to expand and invested millions of dollars to increased production lines and capacity.

The industrial strength of Morristown and Hamblen County is incredible. Every citizen should consistently demonstrate their appreciation for the value our industries add to Hamblen County. Industries pay a significant portion of the property taxes which fund our schools and other governmental agencies/services. The rest of us enjoy a relatively low property tax rate because industries are paying the bulk of this responsibility. Industries are paying approximately 71% of all property taxes in the city and over 50% of the property taxes in the county. In addition, several of the industries are huge financial supporters of a variety of civic organizations which do so much to help our community. Local industries have maintained this strength even though they have fought with an intense labor shortage, trade wars with other nations, high tariffs, supply chain problems, and transportation issues. Industry leaders have persevered, been creative, endured the pandemic, and have increased production.

In conjunction with the property taxes, local industries provide our families with well-paying jobs. They have helped create a quality of living for all of us which is unequaled by any other location in Tennessee. Local industries have allowed us to build schools, pay salaries for teachers/support staff, create unique educational opportunities for our children, provide a host of extracurricular programs, and allow our school district to excel. As in many situations, all of us may take this for granted; however, everyone in this county owes a tremendous debt to the industries in our community. We should constantly express our appreciation. Not just on one Appreciation Day Breakfast – but every day. On behalf of the Board of Education, the Office of the Superintendent, our 1,500 staff members, and 10,000 students – we would like to publicly express our appreciation to all industry leaders who have invested in our community and who have given so much to improve Hamblen County. Thanks for all that you have done to move our county/city forward and for the value you add to our community. You are awesome!

Please review the following information and contact us if you have any questions or concerns. Also, please remember to email Mrs. Webb (webbk@hcboe.net) if you have other questions you would like us to address in future articles.

1. Schools will be closed the entire Thanksgiving Week. Originally, we were scheduled to be open on November 22 and 23, but we have decided to give students and staff the entire week as a break. All schools are sending home a note asking parents if they need childcare on November 22 and 23. Please complete that form and send back to school by November 5 if you need childcare on those two days so we can adequately plan. There will be no cost for this daycare on November 22 and 23. We do not want to inconvenience parents, especially those who are working, because we extended Thanksgiving Break.

2. Our COVID numbers continue to remain relatively low. Toward the end of this week, we had 19 total active cases in the district. Of those cases, 18 were students and 1 was a staff member.

3. Our extended school program (ESP) will be open on November 22 – 24 from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. You may contact Ms. Stacy Gibson (gibsons@hcboe.net) if you are interested in enrolling in this program. It is important to realize that ESP is different from the special daycare described above.

4. It is important to note that Daylight Savings Time will end on November 7. Please remember to set your clocks back on November 7 to ensure students arrive at school on time.

5. The Tennessee Department of Education will host a series of community forums over the next several weeks on restructuring the state’s funding formula. This is the formula by which school districts receive state funding for the schools. Our local region forum will he held on November 3 at the Niswonger Performance Arts Center in Greeneville. There will also be opportunities to participate virtually if you cannot attend in person. Information is posted on our website for this virtual option.

6. We are continuing to experience significant supply chain issues within our food service program. We are having shortages in paper products, plastic products, and a variety of food items. Our school lunch menus could change quickly, and without notice, over the next several weeks. We sincerely appreciate parents/students understanding that we are struggling with supply chain issues just like everyone else. We will continue to provide a quality meal each day, but the menu could change quickly.

I have worked in multiple states and counties during my career. I have never encountered such a community-oriented group of industry leaders. They have consistently demonstrated support for the school system and the community. They go beyond the call of duty to make our community and schools better. Our staff and students benefit from this generosity each day. We should all take an opportunity to express our appreciation. We could probably express our appreciation the most by filling the numerous vacancies which currently exist. They all need workers! However, if you cannot work – please make sure we take the time to say “thanks” for all they do. Thanks for your attention to this article and remember, School Matters!