Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 12, 1993 TAG: 9303120281
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RICK LINDQUIST CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
RADFORD SCHOOL BOARD CHAIRMAN PLANS TO QUIT
In a surprise announcement Thursday, veteran School Board chairman John McPhail said he plans to step down from the board June 30, one year before his term expires.McPhail, a Radford University professor of education, cited personal and professional reasons behind his decision to resign.
Except for a three-year period in the early 1980s, McPhail has served continuously on the board since 1977, all but two years as chairman. He said he has sent a resignation letter to city mayor Tom Starnes. City council must pick McPhail's replacement.
"I'm getting to the point in my life when I want to spend more time at home," McPhail told his colleagues, saying he had only consulted his wife in making his decision to quit. He also said changes in his professional life will demand more of his time over the next few years.
Board Vice Chairman Guy Gentry, whose term expires this year along with that of George Ducker, said he was "shocked" by McPhail's announcement. "I had no idea," he said.
Gentry praised McPhail's leadership on the board, especially in keeping the five-member panel on track and managing issues and School Board policy. "He's been a rock," Gentry said. "I'm really in shock."
McPhail said he when former Mayor Margaret Duncan encouraged him to apply for the board in 1977, "I had no idea this tenure would be so long."
In making his announcement, the board chairman expressed his appreciation for the city's students, the support of city council, the school system's employees, and his fellow board members.
Asked if he were interested in the chairmanship, Gentry said he hadn't thought about it yet. "I hope to be reappointed first," he said. He and Ducker - and perhaps candidates to replace McPhail - will be interviewed by city council next month.
In other business at Thursday's board meeting, Superintendent Michael Wright announced that last year's high school dropout rate of 1.6 percent was the lowest he can recall since coming to Radford in 1980. Wright also said last year's Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT, scores in Radford were the highest ever.
"So, to have high SAT scores and a low dropout rate . . . is outstanding," he said.
Earlier in the meeting, the board recognized Radford High School seniors Ernst "Kass" Kastning and Emily Brouwer as National Merit semifinalists. Semifinalists must score within the top one-half of one percent of all students taking the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test, or PSAT.