Published: August 11, 2009 08:19 am      

Stanfield learning superintendent’s job

A former dean of students at Model Laboratory has returned to Madison County as a school superintendent intern.

Wade Stanfield will be working alongside county School Superintendent Tommy Floyd and other district administrators this year as a part of the state’s minority school superintendents program.

While he expects to learn much from his year in Madison County, Stanfield said he hopes to contribute much as well.

“I think I bring a lot of knowledge and skills from my past experiences to the internship,” he said, “but I also know this district has many things to teach me.”

Among his goals for the year is to assist with the performance improvement initiatives under way in the county, such as PASS, which has dramatically reduced student suspension rates and CHAMPS, which has reduced problem behaviors.

He also looks forward to working with a recently organized African-American men’s group to develop mentors.

“That’s my first assignment,” Stanfield said. “I’ll also have opportunities to work on narrowing the achievement gaps that exist between gender and ethic groups.”

Already, Stanfield has met each of the district’s principals and addressed a principals’ meeting.

“I also look forward to working with school board members for a district of this size,” he said.

He will be sharing an office this year with Glenn Marshall, a former Madison County superintendent, now assistant superintendent for finance.

“We’ve very fortunate to have someone of Mr. Stanfield’s abilities and background working with our district this year,” Floyd said. “He has already hit the ground running, helping to get our African-American men’s mentoring program. I believe he will be an excellent school superintendent in Kentucky.

“I think our investment in Mr. Stanfield will pay big dividends to Madison County’s schools.”

The two met, Floyd said, when both took state superintendents’ training and found they shared the same educational philosophy.

“Because of the wonderful people we have in this district, Madison County is becoming a statewide leader in education,” the superintendent said. “It is a great place for someone to learn superintendency.”

A native of Mississippi, Stanfield, 39, came to Kentucky to attend Sue Bennett College in London, where he played basketball and earned a bachelor’s degree.

His career in education began as an admissions counselor for Eastern Kentucky University, where he earned a master’s degree in school administration. He next worked several years as Model’s dean of students before becoming principal of Harrodsburg High School.

After the Harrodsburg Independent School District merged with Mercer County, Stanfield became associate principal at Henry Clay High School in Fayette County.

In 2008, he was accepted into the state’s minority superintendent’s program and spent the 2008-09 school year working alongside Fayette County Superintendent Stu Silberman.

During the first semester of his Fayette County internship, Stanfield said he got to visit every department in the district.

“Then Superintendent Silberman assigned me to manage one zone of the district,” Stanfield said.

After serving as an administrator in a large high school and two small ones, Stanfield said the internship allowed him to see “the big picture” and learn every aspect of running an entire district.

He was awarded a second internship and assigned to Madison County for the 2009-10 school year.

After working with Harrodsburg — a small, independent district — Fayette County, the state’s second largest district, and now Madison County, a mid-sized district, Stanfield said he would be prepared to manage any district in the state.

In addition to his work with EKU and Model, Stanfield is known to many others in the Richmond area from his participation in the 99 and 1/2 Just Won’t Do interracial men’s choir.

Bill Robinson can be reached at brobinson@ richmondregister.com or at 624-6622.