Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, January 21, 1994 TAG: 9401210317
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
School Board members are accountable only to council - not parents and voters - under the current system, said Wyatt, a teacher. Council appoints the board.
At a news conference Thursday, Wyatt said board members are beholden to council if they want to be reappointed.
As a result, she said, they cannot become independent advocates for children and parents.
"I urge the citizens to sign petitions to have elected school boards put on the ballot," she said.
"The children of Roanoke deserve to have a School Board that gives them their undivided loyalty."
Wyatt, who is seeking the Democratic nomination in the March 1 primary, said she will be a new voice on council for the average voter.
She promised to work to attract businesses and industries, reduce crime and maintain a high-quality school system.
Wyatt will run against Councilman James Harvey, a 12-year veteran, for the remaining two years in the unfinished term of Beverly Fitzpatrick Jr. Wyatt would not say whether she thinks Harvey has done a good job.
"It's not my role to assess [Harvey]. I will let voters decide that," she said.
Wyatt, who is making her first try for elected office, acknowledged she lacks name recognition, but said she hopes to change that by the primary.
About 30 family members and supporters, including Charles Green, president of the Roanoke chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and several other black leaders, attended her news conference.
She hopes to have strong support among black voters because she has taught for 22 years in schools in predominantly black neighborhoods.
Wyatt, 45, has been endorsed by the Roanoke United Central Labor Council. She hopes to have strong support among teachers, too, because she is a former president of the Roanoke Education Association.
Wyatt, who grew up in Bluefield, said she developed a strong affection for Roanoke as a child when she visited the city to see relatives.
"I believe in the potential of this city and its people," she said, "and this is the reason I have decided to become a candidate."
Wyatt said the city needs a school system that is inviting to business and industry. It must prepare students for the jobs of the 21st century, she said.
"If our city is to grow, it must continue to aggressively seek out business and industry with high-tech, high-skill jobs," she said.
Wyatt said she welcomes the trend for parents to have a greater voice in the school system.
Twenty years ago, parents did not have a lot of say about schools, she said, but those days are gone.
"Parents have learned to assert their right to demand a quality education for their children," she said.
"They hold the teachers, principal, school administration and superintendent accountable. This is as it should be."
\ LINDA WYATT\ \ Age: 45\ \ Hometown: Bluefield\ \ Education: Radford University, bachelor's and master's degrees in education.\ \ Professional: Elementary teacher in Roanoke schools for 22 years. Former president of the Roanoke Education Association. A member of the board of directors for the Virginia and National Education Association.\ \ Political: Secretary of the 6th District Democratic Committee. Former vice chairwoman of the Roanoke Democratic Committee.\ \ Quote: "I fell in love with this city when, as a small child, I caught the train from Bluefield with my mother and came here to visit my great-aunt and -uncle. Visits to Roanoke are some of the most precious memories I have of my childhood."
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB