BRISTOL, Tenn. – David Cox of Boston, Va., was run through the daylong process of meetings, interviews and question-and-answer sessions Friday, making him the fifth and final candidate for the Bristol Tennessee director of schools position.
A graduate of the former Surgoinsville High School in Hawkins County, Tenn., and East Tennessee State University, Cox said he and his wife are excited about the prospect of returning to Northeast Tennessee to be near their immediate family in the Tri-Cities.
“Bristol, Tenn., has an excellent reputation in its commitment to its public schools,” Cox said at a luncheon Friday at the school system’s administration building. “I would love to continue my own professional growth with Bristol Tennessee City Schools, providing sound collaborative educational leadership for the team of professionals who work for the benefit of their children’s learning every day.”
City Councilman Fred Testa asked Cox about his thoughts regarding the relationship between the school system and city leaders.
“The director of schools needs to work hard at understanding what the City Council’s needs are,” Cox answered. “If you have conversations up front, you create transparency and understanding early on.”
Testa, the general manager of A.H. Schreiber Co., an apparel manufacturer in Bristol, Tenn., also asked Cox about preparing students for the workplace.
“Some of the students coming out of schools these days don’t have the life skills and business skills needed,” Testa said. “How can we improve that?”
Cox said passing state tests is “the minimum” that should be expected of students and that they also need to be exposed to business environments.
“Learning mathematics is not enough,” he said. “Students need to know how to apply that knowledge. I think it’s important to give kids questions that don’t have paint-by-number answers.”
Cox has served as Virginia’s Culpeper County Public Schools superintendent since 2001. He also was Pulaski County Public Schools superintendent from 1999-01. He also served as assistant superintendent for Unified School District 443 (Dodge City, Kan.) and as principal of Linn Elementary School in District 443.
In the early ‘90s, Cox also served in Tennessee as assistant band director for Kingsport City Schools. He also served as the Hawkins County Public Schools assistant principal at Church Hill Middle School from 1985-93.
ggray@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2512
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