Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 19, 1990 TAG: 9004190546
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MARGARET CAMLIN NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
"Montgomery County has slammed the door in its own face," said Hassall, a member of the county School Board. The Montgomery board voted 6-3 two weeks ago not to have a representative on the board of the Governor's School.
The county board had agreed that Superintendent Harold Dodge should no longer be the superintendent-in-charge this year because Montgomery County is not sending students to the school.
Then, several county board members said it was improper to have a voting representative on the governing board while not supporting it financially.
"Removing the vote is a peripheral issue," Hassall said at Wednesday's meeting. "More fundamental is keeping a liaison" to the school, due to open this fall in Pulaski County .
Montgomery County board member Marty Childress said Hassall is "taking an extremist point of view" by saying the county slammed the door in its face. The School Board still could change its mind, he said.
"We're not turning our back or walking off," he said Wednesday, "but I don't feel we should be in there and have a voice."
Several members of the school's governing board consoled Hassall and expressed hope that both Radford and Montgomery County eventually would send students to the school.
"I'm saddened by the turn of events here," said Ron Whitehead, a Giles County School Board member.
"It's our loss," said Susan Goforth, a Wythe County School Board member who was elected the new chairwoman.
"I think it's Montgomery County's loss and the children of Montgomery County's loss, in particular," Hassall replied.
Radford's relationship to the school also was explored at the meeting. Its board also has decided not to send students to the school this year.
"All along, one of the big factors for us is the money," explained Guy Gentry, a Radford School Board member. For a school system with only about 1,500 students, $17,500 is a lot of money, he said. He was referring to the cost of sending seven students to the Governor's School.
Gentry said he would like for teachers and administrators from Radford to meet with leaders of the Governor's School when a firm curriculum is developed "to see what's available."
Governing board members spent nearly two hours deciding how Montgomery County's and Radford's relationship to the school should be defined in its constitution.
They finally voted to amend the constitution so it reads that Radford and Montgomery County are "non-participating" members of the school. Members of the governing body shall come from "participating" school divisions, the constitution says.
Board members from Pulaski, Bland, Giles and Floyd counties, Galax and Radford attended the meeting, along with Pulaski Superintendent James Burns.
***CORRECTION***
Published correction ran on April 20, 1990 in the New River Edition\ Clarification
A headline in Thursday's newspaper may have left the erroneous impression that James Hassall voluntarily left his position as chairman of the governing body for the Governor's School for Science, Math and Technology. In fact, Hassall was forced to give up the position when the Montgomery County School Board voted not to have a representative on the Governor's School board.
Memo: correction