Councilman campaigns for McGavock magnet, teaching post

By Clarence Wilson
Diversity Institute Fellow

07.24.03

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Metro Councilman James Stanley pushed at the July 22 Metro Board of Education meeting for the board to approve a proposal that would create a political science and history magnet program at his former high school.

The board agreed to consider his request at its Aug. 5 meeting.

Stanley, who represents District 2, said he is concerned about the future of his alma mater, McGavock Comprehensive High School. About 200 students will be leaving the campus to transfer to Maplewood High School this fall, part of an ongoing trend that has seen the school lose as many as 1,200 students in recent years. About 1,800 students will enroll at McGavock this fall.

Stanley said McGavock would be able to attract more students if it had a magnet program, and he indicated that he might like to teach at the school once his term ends Sept. 1.

“I’m a graduate of McGavock, and I have an undergraduate degree in history,” Stanley said. “We’re losing students to other schools, and I want to see how much I can do since I have only five more weeks as a councilman.”

Stanley, a councilman since 1995, cannot seek re-election because of term limits. Becoming a teacher would allow him to continue to have an impact in the community, he said. McGavock is located on a 47-acre campus next to Two Rivers Park and was constructed in Nashville in 1971 following a court order to desegregate the county’s public schools.

“I’ve seen a lot of changes in the school system over the years,” Stanley said. “Capital needs should be directed to help preserve the school and getting it [McGavock] involved in a magnet program can only help.”

Stanley also said that he would like to see the school correct the failure to acknowledge past student and alumni achievements by setting up what he called a “Hall of Honor.”

“[It] will be a motivational tool for future students,” he added. “This induction process will promote a more thorough interest in the school…”

Also at the July 22 meeting, the school board grilled Pedro Garcia, the director of schools for Davidson County, over the implementation of school board salary schedules and pay plans for teachers, as well as benefits for them.

Board members gave Garcia a favorable evaluation after talking with him for more than 90 minutes.

“We aim to please,” Garcia told the board afterward. He declined interviews after the session.

The board also recognized three employees who had died since the end of the school year. Martha Hick Binns and Geraldine Doss had a combined 44 years of teaching service in the Nashville area. Clarence Mitchell had been with the district only two years and worked at Dalewood Middle School. Family members accepted recognitions on their behalf.

Meanwhile, the board also honored Thomas Hatfield, a school plant manager for the district, and Nancy Dill, a former principal at Stratford High School.

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Articles, photos by Summer 2003 Diversity Institute Fellows
Collection page for articles  07.29.03