My daughter attends elementary school in the Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS). Public schools in Davidson County tend to get a bad rap, and that’s a shame because there are some wonderful things happening here.

Recently, MNPS hired a new Director of Schools, Dr. Shawn Joseph. To say that the expectations are high for him would be an understatement. Also, the process of hiring a new director was not an easy one. My friend TC Weber wrote a thorough analysis of that process here, as did the Tennessee Education Report here and The Tennessean here. Still, I feel hopeful about what Dr. Joseph will do here.

Back in April, I, along with other parents and teachers, spoke at that month’s school board meeting (during the public comment portion of the meeting) about what I would like to see in a new Director of Schools. Here were my remarks…