Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 7, 1993 TAG: 9302070076
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
SCHOOLS' SEARCH IS OVER SUPERINTENDENT TO BE ANNOUNCED
A five-month search for someone to fill Roanoke's top school administrative post will end Monday with the announcement of a new superintendent.School Board Chairman Finn Pincus said Saturday that the announcement will be made at a 9 a.m. news conference.
The search for Frank Tota's successor has been quiet, kept under wraps by the School Board.
Three finalists from among the 44 applicants were named last month. But because of a slip in a background check and one candidate's failure to divulge a questionable occurrence in his past, the number dropped to two: E. Wayne Harris, an area superintendent for Fairfax County schools and Herbert R. Cottrill, an assistant superintendent for the Charlottesville school system.
Harris appears to be the favorite of those in the school community who have met both finalists. Members of the Roanoke Education Association who attended a mass meeting Thursday unanimously endorsed Harris. The association counts 600 of Roanoke's 950 teachers as members.
"One of the things people liked was that he knew so much about Roanoke and seemed to be prepared to deal with what Roanoke's concerns were," REA President Dorothy Cooper said. Harris was born and raised in Salem.
The search process has been swift and smooth, with the exception of a couple of bumps and one major bruise.
When asked last week how soon a decision would be made, one board member quipped, "The board wants this process to come to an end as quickly as possible."
After a newspaper story named one of the three finalists two days before the planned announcement, board members scrambled to plug perceived leaks in what had been a tight-lipped process.
The withdrawal of finalist Willis B. McLeod - or rather, what led to his withdrawal - threw a snag into the process. But the board simply picked up and moved forward without dwelling on the mishap.
In August, the board hired Tom McLernon, director of administrative services for the Virginia School Board Association, to assist in the search. McLernon has consulted on more than 45 superintendent searches in Virginia.
Part of the board's agreement with McLernon was that he would conduct background checks on candidates. But board members did some checking on their own, too.
McLeod once was school superintendent in Northampton County, N.C. One board member discovered that an audit of of that school system covering part of McLeod's tenure revealed deficiencies in accounting practices and financial controls. The board member called the Roanoke Rapids Herald newspaper in North Carolina - which had written extensively about the audit - to check out the tip.
The information was passed to Pincus, who took it to McLernon in Charlottesville. McLernon then called McLeod to inform him that the board had knowledge of the Northampton situation.
Whether McLeod wanted to remain in the running was left up to him. He chose to withdraw.
That the entire board was not consulted before Pincus met with McLernon did not sit well with some board members.
"There were problems among board members about it," board member Jay Turner said. "But it was discussed as purely an internal matter. It's not something that needs to deal with everybody."
By law, the board must have a new superintendent under contract by March 1 - 60 days before Tota's contract expires.
The board met in closed session Tuesday to vote on making a contract offer to one finalist.
"You always wonder what's going to happen when you start a search like this," said board member Wendy O'Neil. "But I was stunned at the high caliber of individuals who applied. It's a fine testament of all Dr. Tota and his predecessors have done to put us on the national map."
Memo: Correction ***CORRECTION***