George J. McKenna III | |
---|---|
Member of the LAUSD Board of Education for the 1st district | |
Assumed office August 28, 2014 | |
Preceded by | Marguerite LaMotte |
Personal details | |
Born | New Orleans, Louisiana | September 6, 1940
Political party | Democratic |
Alma mater | Xavier University of Louisiana (Ed.D, BMath) Loyola Law School (M.A.) |
George J. McKenna III (born September 6, 1940) is an American politician and former educator who is a current member of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education for District 1 since 2014.[1] A former principal at Washington Preparatory High School, McKenna helped reform the school as the school had issues with gang violence, with his actions being re-enacted in the 1986 biographical film The George McKenna Story where he was portrayed by Denzel Washington.[2][3]
Early life and education[edit]
McKenna was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on September 6, 1940, and attended Xavier University of Louisiana, getting a Bachelor of Mathematics and later a Doctor of Education. In 1962, he accepted a teaching position for the Los Angeles Unified School District while attending Loyola Law School, the University of California, Los Angeles, and California State University, Los Angeles.[4]
Career[edit]
High school principal and film[edit]
After arriving to Los Angeles, McKenna was a math teacher and was assigned as principal of Washington High School.[5] The school was plagued by low achievement score, high absenteeism and gang violence. Under McKenna's leadership, the school banned school violence and had low absentee rates.[2] Because of his efforts, a biographical television film was made documenting his story called The George McKenna Story, with Denzel Washington portraying him.[3]
In 1989, McKenna received the Congressional Black Caucus’ Chairman’s Award and was later inducted into the National Alliance of Black School Educators’ Hall of Fame in 1997.[6]
Superintendent of schools[edit]
In 1988, McKenna was hired to become the Inglewood Unified School District superintendent. After his hiring, McKenna was criticized by opponents for being arrogant and mismanaged the district.[7] In 1993, Inglewood's school board then announced that they would not renew the contract between them and McKenna, with the board voting 3-2 for no confidence.[8][9] In 1994, Compton Unified School District hired McKenna as deputy superintendent.[10]
Board of education[edit]
In August 2014, McKenna announced that he was running for the LAUSD Board of Education District 1 seat to finish Marguerite LaMotte's term as LaMotte had died in December 2013.[11] LaMotte, like McKenna, had also been a principal at Washington Preparatory High, and McKenna and supporters had previously pressured the Board to appoint him after her death, with the Board instead choosing to hold a special election.[12] Although opponent Alex Johnson accused him of child molestation charges and the state take-over of the Compton and Inglewood school districts, widely condemned by supporters including Congresswomen Maxine Waters and Karen Bass, McKenna won the seat.[6][1] McKenna was sworn in on August 28, 2014, and was re-elected in the 2014 general election.[13][14] In 2023, McKenna announced that he would be retiring as a board member at the end of his term in 2024.[15]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Folven, Edwin (August 15, 2014). "George McKenna wins District 1 seat". Park Labrea News & Beverly Press.
- ^ a b "A Matter of Principal". Los Angeles Times. November 11, 1986.
- ^ a b Szymanski, Mike (March 7, 2016). "A movie, a principal and a turnaround school: 30 years since 'The George McKenna Story'". LASchoolReport.
- ^ "GEORGE MCKENNA, III". The HistoryMakers.
- ^ "The New Bosses". Los Angeles Times. June 16, 2000.
- ^ a b Bakewell Jr., Danny J. (July 24, 2014). "George McKenna Campaign Under Attack". Los Angeles Sentinel.
- ^ Lacey, Marc (October 27, 1989). "After 1 Year in Office, Doubts Cloud Charisma of Supt. George McKenna : Chasing Elusive Dreams". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Fuetsch, Michele (September 16, 1993). "School Board Votes to Oust Superintendent : Education: The panel decides not to renew the contract of nationally known Supt. George J. McKenna III after the county appointed a fiscal overseer because of mismanagement". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Fuetsch, Michele (October 8, 1993). "A Hero Falls From Favor : Famed Inglewood School Supt. George McKenna on the Way Out". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Richardson, Lisa (May 5, 1994). "INGLEWOOD : McKenna Becomes Compton Deputy Supt". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Community Rallies Around George McKenna for L.A. School Board". Los Angeles Sentinel. March 6, 2014.
- ^ "Esteemed Educator George McKenna Enters Race for Los Angeles School Board". Los Angeles Sentinel. January 30, 2014.
- ^ Miller, Kenneth D. (August 28, 2014). "An Emotional Dr. George McKenna is Officially Sworn In!!!". Los Angeles Sentinel.
- ^ Blume, Howard (November 8, 2014). "Four L.A. school board members likely to face reelection challenges". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Sentinel Exclusive: Dr. George McKenna Announces Retirement from LAUSD Board of Education". Los Angeles Sentinel. July 20, 2023.