Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, August 27, 1993 TAG: 9308270307
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURA WILLIAMSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The board also agreed to appoint a community advisory committee to suggest criteria for selecting the new superintendent, but how much input that group will have in reviewing applicants remains to be determined.
Board members agreed during the meeting that representatives from the Roanoke County Education Association, parent-teacher associations, the school administration, the business community and citizens at large should draw up a list of qualifications.
But that process didn't go far enough for the county teachers' association, which raised concerns with several board members afterward.
"We would like meaningful participation," said Doris Boitnott, director of the teachers' group, who said teachers had more input when Wilson was hired 14 years ago.
Debbie McClure, president of the education association, said teachers wanted to be included "down to the selection of 10 or 12 candidates."
Against the advice of the state board association, which pitched its services Thursday, the teachers likely will get their wish.
Thomas said he and several board members agreed during a conversation with Boitnott and McClure after the meeting to expand the scope of the committee, contingent upon the full board's approval, to allow members to narrow the list of applicants to 10 or 15.
"That would give the committee a sense of participation and a sense of purpose," he said.
The board, he said, would make the final selection alone.
During the next two weeks, board members will take recommendations from the education association, PTA, Chamber of Commerce and other groups and will appoint a committee of fewer than 10 members at its Sept. 9 meeting, Thomas said.
Also at that meeting, the board will set up a schedule for its search, which must be completed by March 1. The state Board of Education will appoint a superintendent if the local board fails to do so by then.
After listening to presentations from the Virginia School Boards Association and County Attorney Paul Mahoney, board members tentatively agreed to advertise the position by Oct. 15 with a cutoff for applications around Jan. 10.
"As far as I'm concerned, we're getting short on time," Thomas said.
Board members also informally agreed to:
Pay the state board group $2,000 to help conduct the search.
Advertise the position nationally, deciding later whether any out-of-state candidates merit being flown in for interviews.
Hold a public hearing on the advisory committee's list of proposed qualifications.
Exclude any candidates not already licensed in Virginia, to hasten the process.
Looking outside the state for candidates does not exclude anyone working for the system, such as Assistant Superintendent Deanna Gordon and Director of Instruction Garland Life, said Thomas.
Gordon, who has expressed an interest in the job, and Life, who had applied for the position when Wilson was hired, are among several school employees certified to be superintendents, Thomas said.
"We need to look at all possible candidates," he said, adding that it was "no reflection on people in the school system" for the board to cast its net over a broader area.
Wilson - who wanted to retire last year but agreed to a final, one-year contract that will end in June - was so eager for the process to begin that he handed board members an American School Board Journal article titled "Choosing a School Chief."
Then he pointed to a section he didn't want them to miss.
"Don't criticize the former superintendent," it began.
by CNB