Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, April 18, 1995 TAG: 9504180108
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The job is demanding, but rewarding. As chairman of the Roanoke School Board, the Rev. Nelson Harris stays busy attending meetings, answering phone calls, attending social functions and performing the other duties of the post.
Since he became chairman last year, he figures that the time he has spent on board work has quadrupled.
``There is so much more to do, and you are expected to attend so many community and social events,'' Harris said.
He likes the work, however, and believes that he is making a contribution to the community.
Harris, 30, has decided to seek a second term on the board. He ran unsuccessfully for City Council last year, but he's not sure that he wants to get back into politics soon.
``I'm content with serving on the School Board,'' he said. ``I enjoyed running for council, but it was time-consuming and tiring.''
Harris also faces a different situation this year than when City Council appointed him to the board three years. The competition is not so fierce.
In 1992, there were 12 applicants for two board seats. Harris, minister of Ridgewood Baptist Church, was largely unknown. Harris and Don Poff, a manager for the Federal Aviation Administration, were named to the board.
This year, there are only three applicants for the same seats. Poff is not seeking a second term because his duties with the FAA have increased. Harris, now a well-known incumbent, is a strong favorite for reappointment
One of the toughest challenges for the board in the next few years, Harris says, will be finances and dealing with the crunch that will be caused by downsizing in federal and state governments.
The Republicans' proposal to shift the federal food lunch program to the states is the kind of approach that could reduce money for schools, he believes.
Gov. George Allen proposed deep cuts in education that could have hurt school systems, he says. The General Assembly restored the funds, but Harris worries that there could be similar proposals in the coming year.
Harris says City Council seems sensitive to the schools' financial needs and has shown a willingness to help in recent years.
He hopes the reopening of Hotel Roanoke will generate additional tax revenue for the city that can help pay for salary increases for teachers. Roanoke's salaries for teachers are lower than those of Salem, Roanoke County and many urban school systems in Virginia.
Roanoke has been trying to catch up in teachers salaries for two years, but it is not moving fast enough to satisfy some teachers and School Board member John Saunders.
Without additional funds from the city, Harris says, the School Board will have to make cuts in the school budget and shift funds to help provide larger salary increases for teachers, as it did this year.
``We will have to carve out - and free up - money to do some of the things that we want to do,'' he said.
Harris says the school system must continue its renovation program and fix up the older middle schools. Jackson Middle School will be closed next year for renovation.
The renovation of the middle schools will be more expensive than the elementary schools'. The Jackson renovation is estimated at $5 million, while the elementary projects cost $2 million to $3 million each.
Harris says the city must continue its periodic bond issues to help pay for the middle school renovations. When those renovations are finished, he says, the school system will need to renovate Patrick Henry and William Fleming high schools.
Harris believes school safety and discipline will remain a top priority, although progress has been made in the past year.
Last year, the school system revised its student conduct code and adopted a get-tough policy on drugs, guns and violence in schools. Ten students were expelled for bringing drugs, guns or other weapons to schools. The School Board upheld every recommendation for expulsion by school administrators.
This year, the number of guns and weapons on school property is down. Only two students have been expelled.
``I think the message is out: City schools are tough on violence, weapons and drugs,'' Harris said. ``We sent out the message that we were going to have safe schools, and we have seen the fruits of our labor.''
One of the accomplishments that gave him the most satisfaction during his first term was increasing the number of school nurses. Largely because of Harris' prodding, the school system now has the equivalent of 11.6 full-time nurses, or almost one for every 1,000 students.
He also played a role in the hiring of Superintendent Wayne Harris to replace Frank Tota, who announced his retirement less than three months after Nelson Harris was appointed to the board.
``For me, it was almost like baptism by fire. I had to assume a major responsibility of a board member fast,'' Nelson Harris said. The search for a superintendent came to a good conclusion, and Wayne Harris has proven to be a good choice, he says.
``Wayne has provided solid leadership in many areas - funding, salaries, technology, rebuilding renovations, staff development and community relations,'' he said.
Harris likes the superintendent's emphasis on technology and his desire to properly prepare students for the 21st century. The board chairman's concern for students will take on a personal dimension this fall when his first child, 5-year-old John, enrolls in kindergarten at Grandin Court Elementary School.
He also has another son, Mark, 3, who will be in school before the end of Harris' second term if Harris is reappointed.
NELSON HARRIS
Seeking reappointment to Roanoke School Board
Age: 30
Hometown: Roanoke
Education: Radford University, bachelor of arts in political science; Southeast Baptist Theological Seminary, master of divinity
Professional: Minister of Ridgewood Baptist Church
Governmental: Roanoke School Board member, 1992-present; chairman, 1994-present
Community: Total Action Against Poverty board member; Roanoke Valley Alliance for Children Steering Committee; Roanoke Valley Ministers Conference, president.
Family: Married, two children: John, 5, and Andrew, 3
Quote: "Being chairman of the School Board is a lot of work. You have so many phone calls and meetings. You are expected to be at community and social functions. But it is the kind of work that you can lay down at night and feel you have made a contribution."
This is the first in a series of profiles on the three applicants for two seats on the Roanoke School Board.
Keywords:
PROFILE
by CNB