Posted: Monday, March 15, 2010 1:24 pm

Patrick McCarthy

Name: Patrick McCarthy
Occupation: Director of MTSU’s Center for Organizational and Human Resource Effectiveness
Education: Bachelor’s degree, Drake University; Master’s degree, West Virginia University; Ph.D., George Mason University; J.D., Nashville School of Law
Campaign Web site: www.mccarthy4kids.com

Why are you running?
I’ve been deeply involved with our schools for over a decade. I’m married to a teacher and get her daily view from the front lines.

Our system faces serious challenges that require leadership with integrity and expertise. I combine an extensive professional background with a constructive, collaborative approach.

You’ll find much more about all this at www.mccarthy4kids.com.

What is the most pressing issue facing city schools and your possible solution?
Several major issues lie before us. The recession brings MCS an unprecedented financial hit.

Belt-tightening must be strategic. Student impact is top priority, including teacher support. Administrative excess must be cut.

A few examples: strip expense accounts to the bone; move payroll to a fully paperless system (saving over $50,000 annually by the city’s own estimates); move board materials online, saving thousands more while becoming more accessible to the public.

A second major issue is Race to the Top, which has changed the education landscape — but has yet to define its most critical elements. That creates complex challenges for dealing with this new law that must be addressed immediately.

Fortunately, I have the professional expertise to tackle such complexities.

We also need diligent attention and planning to address the continued growth and socioeconomic disparity within our system.

What would you do to improve areas in which MCS failed to meet No Child Left Behind benchmarks?
The good news is we have some critical foundations for success.

A particular strength is the quality of our teachers and their commitment to further improvement. That has helped our students excel on most performance measures.

But “mostly good” isn’t good enough.

A few subgroups came up just short of NCLB benchmarks, and even the successful ones have room for further improvement.

The key is making data-based decisions down to the individual student level, and innovating our teaching methods and use of resources accordingly. It’s a matter of smarter decisions producing smarter children.

I am glad to see our new Director of Schools, Dr. Gilbert, aim toward better use of such formative evaluations as a results-based way to improve student learning.

Enhancing the training support for our teachers to further develop and practice these skills is essential. We owe both the children and their teachers the support that it takes to do this well.

What is your position on the consolidation of Murfreesboro City with Rutherford County Schools?
As a parent and a taxpayer, the issue for me comes down to two points. First, will it improve the schools for our children? Second, will it improve cost efficiency? I simply want what’s best on both fronts.

I’ve looked with an open mind and found that bigger may not be better. Merging two of Tennessee’s largest systems into one mega-sized bureaucracy risks being less responsive to the unique needs of particular schools. That’s not encouraging for the impact on student learning in those schools.

The real eye-opener is the evidence on cost efficiency. The largest systems in Tennessee — as in other states — have higher per pupil costs, not lower. Moreover, all of the large-scale mergers in our state found that cost increases dramatically exceeded savings, resulting in large property tax increases. You can find more details in the blog section of my Web site (www.mccarthy4kids.com).

Consolidation is an interesting idea, but the evidence says “beware.” A better alternative for us may be improving the cooperation between our systems.