We recently connected with Stacie McClam and have shared our conversation below.

Stacie , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaning project that I’ve worked on has been the current documentary that I am directing and producing. It is a biographical feature documentary about a mom, Kelley Williams-Bolar, who was jailed in 2011 for using her parents’ address to enroll her daughters into the school district where her parents lived. Her parents lived 5 minutes away in the same zip code, but different school district.

Kelley was recently divorced, worked full-time as a teacher’s assistant, and attended college in the evening. After her home was burglarized, Kelley’s father suggested that his granddaughters attend school in his neighborhood so that they would be safe with him after school. Kelley agreed and enrolled her daughters. I encourage you to watch the documentary when it is released to find out more about what happens in this multi-layered story.

This project is important to me because where you live should not determine how good of an education you receive. School district boundaries typically correspond with redlines which historically have been used to discriminate against people of color through federally supported programs. Educational inequalities exist because often times the best schools are in higher-income areas so people who do not live in those areas don’t have access to a quality education. Housing segregation, health and wealth disparities, property taxes, etc can be traced to the practice of redlining.

Students are zoned to attend their neighborhood school regardless if the school is a quality school. This practice has to end. If the goal is for the United States to be a flourishing country with a thriving economy, then all of its students, the future generation of this country, need great schools that can provide a critical 21st century education.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am the founder of School Dismissed, a film production company, that inspires rage for systemic change in K-12 public education. Film production will be the primary means for exploring the topics. The film production will be based on new content creation in the form of documentaries (short and long as well as feature fiction films). While I am currently producing a feature-length documentary, I am also seeking to produce short documentaries about education issues.

My education advocacy through film comes from being bused to school starting at the age of 6 years old, my grandmother who was a teacher in segregated Virginia, and my experience in law school writing about a school residency issue that occurred in my neighborhood. After 10 years of teaching, I wrote a book entitled School Dismissed: Walking Away From Teaching where I describe the trauma that students and teachers experience at school.

There are many problems in the school system including, but not limited to the following:
1) lack of funding
2) digital divide
3) teacher shortage and dissatisfaction
4) decrease in student enrollment
5) lack of mental health resources for students and staff
6) failure to use phonics
7) common core standards that are not effective in teaching 21st century learning skills
8) lack of top-quality classes (Advanced Placement) in some school districts
9) inconsistent curriculum (e.g., introduction of new curriculum in middle of school year)
10) high student/teacher ratios
11) school residency requirements/redlining
12) school violence, bullying, social estrangement, lack of community engagement

My films expose and address the problems identified. School boards, districts, administrators, politicians, and parents will be pushed to be held accountable to improve schools.

For the fiction films, the production will specifically incorporate issues and problems in a fictional setting with characters that are representative of the populations to be found in schools throughout the country. Characters will be developed to reflect societal problems faced by students, parents, educators, and staff. Plots and scripts will be fictionalized based on real life scenarios to allow for a relatable experience leading to important conversations between stakeholders.

Each film will have a social impact campaign. Calls to action will be embodied in the films. Screenings will be held with school boards, administrators, policy makers and politicians to allow for the greatest social impact.

School Dismissed will be the only film production company that solely addresses the ills within the K-12 educational system. Our focus is on social impact to improve school culture for students, educators, staff, administrators and parents. The focus on specific education issues embodied in each film is unique within the production film industry.

In addition, my experience as an educator throughout the country and abroad and law school experience provides a realistic backdrop to the development of the films and has given me first-hand knowledge of the problems.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I want all students to have access to a quality education. Currently, that is not the case in the United States. My goal is to produce documentary and fiction films focused on education issues.

Each of the feature films will have a social impact campaign attached to it so that action can be taken to improve schools for our students. I am using art as advocacy. These films are not solely for entertainment – there is intentional action built into each film.

Each of the fiction films will be entitled, School Dismissed, with a different subtitle. There will be a corresponding book for each film.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

As a creative, I am focused on creating content. For the last 2.5 years, I have been focused on my documentary. I wish I had been equally concerned with the business side of filmmaking earlier in my creative journey because owning a film production company is a business which requires a business plan, proper accounting, tax planning, etc.

There are many free resources that I have used to grow my business such as the Small Business Association which has Small Business Development Centers across the country that offer workshops and business advising services. There is also the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center which is a nonprofit that offers workshops and mentors. Finally, Hello Alice is a free platform to help guide small business owners on their entrepreneurial journeys.

Also I learned that it can be beneficial to invest in professionals that will help with the business side of your creative business such as an attorney, accountant, and coach if needed.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.SchoolDismissed.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staciemcclam/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/staciemcclam
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/staciemcclam
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/staciemcclam
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRtGsPHMQk_U1wj1cTExNMw