THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, December 11, 1995 TAG: 9512110033
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 103 lines
With a petition in one hand and an umbrella in the other, June Miller spent four frustrating hours getting soaked outside a voting precinct last month.
Gamely, she accosted voters as they rushed around in the rain during the November election, hoping they would sign a petition calling for a referendum on an elected school board.
But it was tough going.
Blaming the weather, organizers of Citizens for an Elected School Board say it is unlikely that enough signatures will be collected to seek voter approval in May.
The setback ensures that Norfolk will remain the only city in Hampton Roads where school board members will continue to be appointed.
Since the General Assembly gave cities the option of electing school boards in 1992, voters in 100 of the state's 133 districts have overwhelmingly supported the change.
Chesapeake will conduct its first school board election Dec. 19; Portsmouth residents will vote in May. Virginia Beach and Suffolk already have elected school boards.
In Norfolk, supporters plan to recirculate petitions at the May City Council elections, hoping for sunshine and a good turnout.
``We still haven't gotten that critical mass,'' said Ernie Edwards, one of two Ghent residents spearheading the drive.
That's a familiar story in Norfolk, where two petition drives during the past three years have flopped. Since last May, organizers gathered half the 8,400 signatures needed to put the issue on the ballot.
Miller and other volunteers scrounged about 1,200 signatures last month - a fraction of the 37,962 residents who voted.
``It was pouring down rain, it was cold and it was windy . . . and to complicate matters my umbrella kept turning inside out,'' said Miller, a certified public accountant.
The failure has renewed debate about why Norfolk is the region's lone holdout.
Demographics might explain the lackluster support for elected school boards, critics and supporters say.
Only about 25 percent of the city's residents have school-age children, and 10 percent of those children attend private schools. Those residents may not see a stake in the schools - even though, proponents of an elected board note, about 40 percent of their tax dollars fund public schools.
But the key reason the issue hasn't caught on, opponents argue, is that residents are satisfied with the school board appointed by the City Council.
``Members of the School Board have been responsive, responsible and progressive to the parents and the citizens, and have shown good leadership,'' said Carl Meredith, president of the Lafayette-Winona Civic League.
If residents were dissatisfied, getting signatures would be a cinch, opponents say. They cite the Calvary Revival Church rezoning battle two years ago in which residents snapped up 14,000 signatures in three weeks.
Larry Gregory, who formed a citizens group seeking better schools a few years ago, said he still supports the concept of elected school boards, but is satisfied with the current board.
Gregory said people are impressed with the district's community outreach since Superintendent Roy D. Nichols Jr. took over three years ago.
Gregory also said Norfolk ``might be better off'' without elected board members. He pointed to Virginia Beach, battling a $12.1 million budget deficit and the removal of elected board member Charles Vincent, who was convicted of improperly soliciting campaign contributions.
Supporters of an elected board contend it is only a matter of time for Norfolk. Virginia, after all, was the last state to allow elected school boards following 20 years of persuasion.
Under the existing system, Edwards said, the City Council selects board members behind closed doors. The appointments are used to consolidate political power and reward supporters, critics say.
Limited support from the city's key leaders may explain why the idea has never gelled. Most council members oppose an elected board.
Some members of Citizens for an Elected School Board note that losing the power to appoint would strip the City Council of significant power.
Mayor Paul Fraim also opposes the idea, primarily because state law doesn't give school boards taxing authority. The boards remain dependent on City Council, creating the potential for conflict.
Critics of appointed boards, however, point to poor student performance, low test scores and high dropout rates as reasons for change.
``It's part of what I call constructive citizen involvement,'' Edwards said.
Petition drives in other cities have succeeded during scheduled elections because registered voters are a captive audience. While the effort in Norfolk fizzled, Edwards disagrees that city residents are not interested in electing a board. Eight of every 10 voters approached by volunteers last month agreed to sign, he said, but the volunteers covered only eight of 60 precincts.
The GOP might try.
George Schaefer, the city's Republican chairman, plans to gauge interest among party members. Norfolk historically has voted Democratic, but Republicans have made inroads in recent years, winning the offices of sheriff, commonwealth's attorney and the clerk of court.
``People always feel somewhat powerless over their government, and this would be one way to bring it back,'' Schaefer said.
Fraim and others acknowledged that Norfolk's appointed system may someday fall out of public favor.
``That doesn't scare me,'' Fraim said. ``My hunch is that we're headed in that direction.''
KEYWORDS: NORFOLK SCHOOL BOARD PETITION ELECTED SCHOOL BOARDS by CNB