Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, May 19, 1994                   TAG: 9405190139
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-10   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: By MARA LEE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

MONTGOMERY SCHOOLS GET MIXED REPORT IN CLIMATE STUDY

The study, collected by Wayne Worner, Virginia Tech Dean of the College of Education, graded elements of the system, from teachers, parents and students, to principals, the School Board and superintendent.

Teachers and principals received B+'s, students received B-'s, and parents received C+s.

The School Board received a C-, and Superintendent Herman Bartlett, a D+.

"You asked teachers about the condition of public education, and their response was, 'Not bad,'" Worner said. "You asked teachers about the support for public education, and their response was, 'Not good.'"

Principals and administrators also filled out surveys, but 85 percent of the 542 responses were from teachers. Principals and administrators responded in the same vein, Worner said.

The numbers from two years ago were higher in both categories, with a C for the former superintendent and close to a C+ for the board.

Worner said the timing of the survey, during the budget debates in February, actually had less of an impact than he had expected. Most other categories remained steady over all three years the survey has been done.

Some of the 295 comments from the surveys in the full report included:

"When teachers, principals, parents, etc. spend copious amounts of time on committees, studies, and special projects, use the information! Follow through!"

"The administration at central office has to resolve to remember that they are communicating with professional adults at all times. There are many times they slip into the stern father to errant child mode."

"Each school is an island. No one knows what goes on at other schools or even knows the other teachers. This needs to change."

"Cut out backroom decisions and done deals. All discussions, plans, decisions, etc. should be done in open School Board meetings, except personnel issues. Cut out the under the table antics."

"The superintendent is more concerned with outward appearances (i.e. the height of window shades) than EDUCATION! If he has an educational philosophy - I have no idea what it is."

Worner said there were numerous, strong recommendations for personnel changes where people were referred to by name, but he did not make those comments public.

Some miscellaneous suggestions included: better teacher pay; help for the average child; smaller class size; using money on kids rather than "dead-end surveys"; and that Blacksburg should become a city.

Worner said in an interview Wednesday that the fact that teachers are happy with their colleagues and principals, and unhappy with the leaders at the top could be proof that teachers try to ignore the central office.

"Many teachers believe that what the School Board and/or superintendent and/or central office is about is irrelevant," he said. "That the policies that are handed down are more bothersome than helpful."

The survey is not intended to become a tool to crucify Bartlett, Worner said. And the superintendent's rating is not the lowest he has ever seen. But the fact remains, he said, that teachers feel out of control and unrepresented.

"I think some of it is about politics. I think some of it is about governance. I think some of it is about power. I think some of it is about leadership. But I think what most of this study is about is about frustration."