THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, July 1, 1996 TAG: 9606290003
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: 45 lines
Four months have passed since a special grand jury handed down its blistering report accusing most Virginia Beach School Board members of malfeasance in office. And while individual Board members denied the charges, most resigned or decided not to run for their seats again in the May election because of the grand jury's criticism.
Today Virginia Beach gets a new School Board with just two members who sat on that controversial board. One, Donald F. Bennis, who had been appointed, was elected for this term in May. As staff writer Aleta Payne pointed out in Sunday's newspaper, between them, members of this board bring slightly more than three years of experience to the table.
That's either a cause for concern or for optimism. Maybe both.
With untainted School Superintendent Timothy Jenney leading the administration, the Virginia Beach schools now have an opportunity to recover from the financial and personnel shenanigans that formerly damaged the school system.
But there are disturbing signs that some of the elected members, even those freshly sworn in, are increasingly political - behind the scenes lobbying for the chairman's slot, for instance. That sort of manuvering is inevitable in elected boards and is one of the primary reasons we don't like this mjethod of selecting school boards.
We hope the new members will rise above shabby politicking. That is, avoid power plays, factionalism and other unseemly behavior. The children deserve better from the board than they have had in the past. They deserve a board that, despite having been elected, puts educational substance above partisan posturing.
As they campaigned, each candidate pledged to adhere to the highest level of integrity, put education first, be watchdogs of fiscal responsiblility and be open with the public.
We intend to hold them to their promises. The Virginia Beach School system has been teetering on the edge of greatness for many years. Yet the behavior of some school administrators and the board's obliviousness to their actions, tarnished the reputation of the area's most-envied school system.
Virginia Beach deserves a School Board that will put aside personal ambition and immediately get down to the business of helping the children of Virginia Beach gain the finest education possible. by CNB