NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- One of the candidates for the Metro school board has an occupation that, he admits, could cause a potential conflict of interest.

He doesn't just work for the state school board: He's its attorney.

A meet and greet was scheduled Monday evening for the eight Metro school board hopefuls and the members of the Metro Council. The council will select one of them Tuesday to fill the seat vacated by Alan Coverstone, who resigned from his seat to take another job with the school system.

Rich Haglund is general counsel for the state Board of Education, and he plans to hold that job if he's appointed to be a member of the Metro Board of Education.

Haglund has been the state school board's only lawyer for five years. While that gives him valuable experience, he said, there are three scenarios in which having both jobs could cause a problem.

Potential Conflict: A charter school applicant who is rejected by the Metro School Board can appeal to the state school board. Haglund manages that appeal.
"I would recuse myself from voting at the Metro board level, and then I would ask somebody else to manage that appeal at the state level," said Haglund.
Potential Conflict: The state board takes away licenses from teachers who have committed misconduct. Haglund prosecutes those cases for the state. He'd have to recuse himself in any case involving a Metro teacher.
Potential Conflict: The state school board potentially has the power to remove members of the Metro school board if the school system is failing. The Metro school system is partially under state control now because it's failing. Haglund could potentially have to remove himself -- a situation he doesn't see happening.
"I don't think the state Board of Education, if they didn't think that I could be a good local board member, they wouldn't think I'd necessarily be a good staff member for them, either," he said.

The Metro school systems' all-important progress report will be released Wednesday. As it happens, it's the day after Metro picks the school board member.

The District 9 school board member represents the Hillwood cluster area, an area that would be heavily impacted by the school's redistricting plan.