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George J. McKenna III

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George J. McKenna III (born September 6, 1940) is an American politician and former educator currently serving as a member of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education for District 1, a position he has held since 2014. Prior to his board tenure, McKenna served as the principal of George Washington Preparatory High School. During his tenure, he led reforms to address issues related to gang violence in the school. His initiatives at the school were recounted in the 1986 biographical film The George McKenna Story where he was portrayed by Denzel Washington.

George J. McKenna III
McKenna in 2021
Member of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education
for the 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office
August 28, 2014
Preceded byMarguerite LaMotte
Vice President of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education
In office
July 1, 2015 – July 6, 2017
PresidentSteve Zimmer
Preceded bySteve Zimmer
Succeeded byNick Melvoin
Personal details
Born (1940-09-06) September 6, 1940 (age 84)
New Orleans, Louisiana
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materXavier University of Louisiana (Ed.D, BMath)
Loyola Law School (M.A.)

By 1988, he was appointed to the Inglewood Unified School District as the superintendent, where he was later ousted from the District due to him clashing with the board. He served in various capacities in different school districts including on the Compton Unified School District and the Pasadena Unified School District. In 2014, he won a special election to succeed Marguerite LaMotte on the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education after she died, serving until he announced his retirement in 2024.

Early life and education

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George J. McKenna III was born on September 6, 1940 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He pursued his undergraduate studies at Xavier University of Louisiana, earning a Bachelor of Mathematics degree at the age of 20. Later, he earned a Doctor of Education degree from the same university. He furthered his education by attending Loyola Law School, where he was awarded a teaching fellowship and earned a master's degree in mathematics.[1][2]

Early career and film

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Actor Denzel Washington portrayed McKenna in the 1986 television film The George McKenna Story.

In 1964, McKenna took a teaching position at David Starr Jordan High School in Watts, Los Angeles, with the Watts riots taking place a year after and inspiring him to have an interest in serving the school system.[3] In 1979, McKenna assumed the role of principal at Washington High School in Westmont, California, which faced challenges with low academic performance, frequent student absences, and gang violence. Throughout his tenure as principal, he successfully reformed the school to a point where nearly eighty percent of its graduates pursued higher education.[4] McKenna's time as school principal was praised and was given national acclaim, with his actions being depicted in the 1986 television film The George McKenna Story, where he was portrayed by Denzel Washington.[5][6] He participated in the movie's ending scene, where he narrates the changes to the school because of the efforts of the community.[7] The movie was praised for Washington's depiction of McKenna and for showcasing the reforms that were installed in the school.[8]

In 1988, McKenna was appointed as the superintendent of the Inglewood Unified School District, riding on the popularity of the film.[9] While superintendent, he clashed with the board on various issues.[10] By September 1993, the Inglewood Unified School District Board announced that they would not renew his contract.[11][12] Some of the members of the Board of Education called his actions arrogant, blaming him for deficits that the districts was facing at the time, and he lost a no-confidence vote.[1] In 1994, the Compton Unified School District hired McKenna as deputy superintendent, an office he would hold until 2001.[13][14] In June 2000, he was appointed as Superintendent of the 1st Subdistrict for the Los Angeles Unified School District created by Superintendent Ramón C. Cortines.[15][1] From 2001 until 2008, he was an assistant Superintendent for the Pasadena Unified School District.[16]

LAUSD Board of Education

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McKenna (left) with State Senator Steven Bradford speaking to students in 2017.

On December 5, 2013, longtime Los Angeles Unified School District board member Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte died, with supporters rallying around McKenna to be appointed to her seat.[17][18] The board decided to call for a special election to fill her seat, with her successor having to run again for the regular 2014 election.[19] In the primary election, McKenna and education policy advisor Alex Johnson emerged as the top two candidates, advancing to the runoff.[20][21] McKenna won against Johnson in the subsequent runoff election with low turnout.[22][23][24] He was sworn into office by Jesse Jackson and won re-election unopposed that next year.[25][26][27] His inauguration was attended by U.S. Representative Maxine Waters and civil rights activist Danny Bakewell.[28]

In November 2014, McKenna and board members Bennett Kayser and Steve Zimmer proposed a resolution to require ethnic studies courses in its high schools, which was approved by the Board.[29] On July 1, 2015, McKenna was named as the Vice President of the Board of Education by newly-elected President Steve Zimmer.[30] He was replaced by Nick Melvoin after Melvoin's election to the board on July 6, 2017, as he defeated President Zimmer in the 2017 election. In September 2019, McKenna helped to launch the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority pass program for K-12 students in the LAUSD.[31] He was re-elected to the Board in that next year, running unopposed again.[32] In February 2024, McKenna announced his decision not to pursue re-election for the upcoming 2024 election.[33] He endorsed senior aide Sherlett Hendy Newbill to take over for his seat in the 2024 election, and she was elected to succeed him.[34][35]

Personal life

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McKenna lives in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles.[1] 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.[36] He was honored by Loyola Law School with a Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Public Service Award in March 2017.[37]

Electoral history

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Electoral history of Kevin Kiley
Year Office Party Primary General Result Swing Ref.
Total % P. Total % P.
2014 LAUSD Board of Education (1st) Nonpartisan 19,803 44.56% 1st 17,025 52.81% 1st Won N/A [23]
2015 Nonpartisan 28,456 100.00% 1st Runoff cancelled Won N/A [27]
2020 Nonpartisan 107,280 100.00% 1st Runoff cancelled Won N/A [32][38]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "The New Bosses". Los Angeles Times. June 16, 2000.
  2. ^ "Afro-American dinner features George McKenna". The Hanford Sentinel. February 22, 1991. p. 17.
  3. ^ Reese, Gregg (May 8, 2014). "Emancipation through Education: the mantra of George McKenna". Our Weekly.
  4. ^ "A Matter of Principal". Los Angeles Times. November 1, 1986.
  5. ^ O'Connor, John (November 11, 1986). "'THE GEORGE McKENNA STORY,' A MOVIE ON CBS". The New York Times.
  6. ^ "The George McKenna Story". The Washington Post. November 9, 1986.
  7. ^ Szymanski, Mike (March 7, 2016). "A movie, a principal and a turnaround school: 30 years since 'The George McKenna Story'". LASchoolReport.
  8. ^ Winfrey, Lee (November 11, 1986). "Telemovie shows realities of education reform". Daily Times-Advocate.
  9. ^ Fuetsch, Michele (October 8, 1993). "A Hero Falls From Favor : Famed Inglewood School Supt. George McKenna on the Way Out". Los Angeles Times.
  10. ^ Lacey, Marc (October 27, 1993). "After 1 Year in Office, Doubts Cloud Charisma of Supt. George McKenna : Chasing Elusive Dreams". Los Angeles Times.
  11. ^ "INGLEWOOD". Los Angeles Times. September 11, 1993.
  12. ^ Fuetsch, Michele (September 10, 1993). "School Board in Inglewood Votes to Oust Superintendent : Education: Panel decides not to renew the contract of Supt. George J. McKenna III after the county appointed a fiscal overseer because of mismanagement". Los Angeles Times.
  13. ^ Richardson, Lisa (May 5, 1994). "INGLEWOOD : McKenna Becomes Compton Deputy Supt". Los Angeles Times.
  14. ^ "COMPTON : Pay, Ethnicity of School Appointees Criticized". Los Angeles Times. May 12, 1994.
  15. ^ Sahagun, Louis; Sauerwein, Kristina (June 16, 2000). "L.A. Unified Appoints 11 Leaders for Subdistricts". Los Angeles Times.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ "Sentinel Exclusive: Dr. George McKenna Announces Retirement from LAUSD Board of Education". Los Angeles Sentinel. July 20, 2023.
  17. ^ Blume, Howard (December 13, 2013). "3 L.A. school board members favor special election to replace LaMotte". Los Angeles Times.
  18. ^ "Rift Emerges In Fight For Vacant LA School Board Seat". CBS News. December 17, 2013.
  19. ^ Blume, Howard (January 6, 2014). "Two well-known candidates, so far, aspire to replace LaMotte". Los Angeles Times.
  20. ^ "George McKenna and Alex Johnson leading in L.A. Unified race". Los Angeles Times. June 4, 2014.
  21. ^ "LAUSD Board of Education race: George McKenna, Alex Johnson heading for runoff". Los Angeles Daily News. June 4, 2014.
  22. ^ Banks, Sandy (July 25, 2014). "Quote's context sheds better light on LAUSD candidate George McKenna". Los Angeles Times.
  23. ^ a b Blume, Howard (August 13, 2014). "McKenna wins key L.A. school board seat, according to unofficial results". Los Angeles Times.
  24. ^ Himes, Thomas (August 13, 2014). "Teachers union-backed candidate George McKenna elected to Los Angeles Unified school board". Los Angeles Daily News.
  25. ^ Himes, Thomas (August 26, 2014). "Rev. Jesse Jackson swears in LAUSD board member George McKenna". Los Angeles Daily News.
  26. ^ Blume, Howard (November 8, 2014). "Four L.A. school board members likely to face reelection challenges". Los Angeles Times.
  27. ^ a b Blume, Howard (December 4, 2014). "George McKenna unopposed for L.A. school board; other races in flux". Los Angeles Times.
  28. ^ Miller, Kenneth D. (August 28, 2014). "An Emotional Dr. George McKenna is Officially Sworn In!!!". Los Angeles Sentinel.
  29. ^ "LAUSD board votes to add Ethnic Studies to schools' curriculum". November 19, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  30. ^ Szymanski, Mike (July 6, 2015). "Zimmer names McKenna, Ratliff, Vladovic as LA Unified reps". LASchoolReport.
  31. ^ "Dr. George J. Mckenna III Launches First-Of-Its Kind Student Transit Pass Program in LAUSD Schools". Los Angeles Sentinel. September 12, 2019.
  32. ^ a b Littlejohn, Donna (March 27, 2020). "LA County's March 3 election results are certified; here's who will go to a Nov. 3 runoff". Daily Breeze.
  33. ^ Blume, Howard (August 2, 2023). "Jackie Goldberg, George McKenna, LAUSD 'pillars,' will not seek school board reelection". Los Angeles Times.
  34. ^ "Endorsement: Sherlett Hendy Newbill for L.A. Unified school board District 1". Los Angeles Times. February 4, 2024.
  35. ^ Dale, Mariana (November 8, 2024). "Longtime Dorsey High educator Sherlett Hendy Newbill elected to LAUSD board". LAist.
  36. ^ Bakewell Jr., Danny J. (July 24, 2014). "George McKenna Campaign Under Attack". Los Angeles Sentinel.
  37. ^ "LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL TO HONOR LAUSD BOARD VP GEORGE McKENNA III WITH JOHNNIE L. COCHRAN, JR. PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD" (PDF). Loyola Law School. February 17, 2017.
  38. ^ "Presidential Primary Election". Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. March 3, 2020.
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