Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 19, 1994 TAG: 9406220006
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Turner has run the Boston Marathon in 2 hours, 54 minutes - not bad for a recreational runner. World-class runners complete the 26-mile race in about 2 hours, 10 minutes.
Long-distance runners have to learn to conquer the pain and the urge to quit, especially in the final miles.
Turner may be in his final miles as a member of the Roanoke School Board. He will give up his seat at the end of June after nine years, but the decision is not solely his.
Turner, 49, is the first School Board member to be replaced because of City Council's decision to impose a three-term limit on city boards and commissions.
Even if Turner, the senior School Board member and former chairman, could have stayed on for another term, he said he would not have applied.
But he said that controversy and the pressures of the post would not have been factors in his decision.
Turner came under criticism for his role in helping negotiate a retirement package for former Superintendent Frank Tota. The School Board agreed to an early retirement contract that pays Tota $35,000 annually for seven years for consulting services.
Turner defends Tota's retirement benefits and says Tota's contract was less lucrative than the two-for-one plan that council members approved for themselves and top city administrators.
He believes there should be frequent turnover and new members on the School Board.
And Turner feels that the same term limit that bars him from seeking another term should also be considered for City Council members.
"Personally, I think nine years is long enough for someone to be on the School Board," he said recently. "I think that term limits would be appropriate for council."
As he leaves the board, Turner said the school system is in good shape and that Superintendent Wayne Harris is off to a good start in his first year in the post.
"I have been impressed with him," Turner said. "I had concerns about how the School Board would choose a new superintendent, but I think they did an excellent job."
Turner was on the board for the final eight years of Tota's tenure. He credits the former superintendent with "turning around" the school system and setting it on the road to excellence.
Despite others' complaints about Tota's management style, Turner has praise for the former superintendent's role in establishing the CITY School for gifted students, magnet schools and other innovations.
Board member Marilyn Curtis says Turner strongly supported Tota but has given equal support to Harris.
"He has been a strong advocate of city schools, and we will miss him," Curtis said. Turner has close ties to the business community and affluent South Roanoke, she said, but he tried to make sure children in all schools were treated equally.
Turner is chief executive officer of J.M. Turner & Co., a construction company, and has been active in the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Roanoke Inc.
Turner said relations between the School Board and City Council have improved since Harris became superintendent.
Finances for the school system improved this year because the state gave the city an additional $3.1 million, including $1 million in so-called disparity money. But the School Board has been forced to trim its budget requests in recent years because of limited funds.
"I am not sure we are spending enough on education," Turner said. "We don't pay our teachers enough."
Turner said he doesn't want to second-guess council, because it has to consider all of the city's needs, not just the schools. "That is a call for council to make," he said.
He supports the board's get-tough policy of expelling students who bring drugs and weapons to school, but he said the school system needs to make sure they are not put out on the streets with nothing to do. Ten students have been expelled in the past six months.
"I support the zero-tolerance level on drugs and weapons, but we do have a responsibility to figure out how to deal with these students," he said. "We need to deal with these kids in a positive manner."
One problem in dealing with weapons and drugs in the high schools is the campus-like layout at Patrick Henry and William Fleming.
"The schools are spread out so much that it's more difficult to cope with the problems," he said. The administrative costs also are higher because of the schools' layouts.
At some point, he said, school administrators might have to consider building a third high school to reduce the size of Patrick Henry and William Fleming.
Turner said Mayor David Bower's suggestion that the security fences around the high schools be taken down is a reasonable goal. But school officials must have a way to keep troublemakers and outsiders away from schools, he said.
Turner said he doesn't see any need for an elected School Board, because the appointed system has worked well. City Council appoints the board members after publicly interviewing the applicants.
Roanoke has a more open process in choosing School Board members than some localities, where voters have opted for an elected board, he said.
Petitions are being circulated to put the issue on the ballot in November. Salem will have a referendum this fall; Roanoke County has approved electing a board, and county voters will elect three members in November.
As a board member, Turner has seen the school system from inside and out. At one point, he had four children in city schools. Now, only two are in school, but he still keeps abreast of what's happening.
Turner has been a valuable member because he has provided the perspective of a parent with children in school, said the Rev. Nelson Harris, a board member.
Harris said Turner's expertise in the construction business has been particularly helpful in the renovation of seven schools and other construction projects.
Turner still finds time for community activities and recreation, but he has stopped running, partly because of back trouble. At one point, he was running up to 80 miles a week on the Blue Ridge Parkway, training for races.
Now, he plays racquetball several times a week.
Turner is a lawyer and worked in a Roanoke law firm for several years before going to work in his family's construction company.
The company is leaving its mark on the Roanoke Valley, having built some of the largest local projects in recent years: Valley View Mall, the Roanoke Regional Airport Terminal, the IBM building, Center in the Square and the parking garage next to Fire Station No. 1 in downtown Roanoke.
Turner's company is also one of the general contractors on the $40 million Hotel Roanoke project, which includes renovating the hotel and constructing a conference center. Turner is working with F.N. Thompson of Charlotte, N.C., the other general contractor.
Turner said he will have plenty to keep him busy after he leaves the School Board. He lost a bid for City Council before he was appointed to the board, but says he has no plans to try again.
JAMES M. TURNER JR.
Age: 49
Hometown: Roanoke
Education: Washington and Lee University, B.S., 1967; Washington and Lee School of Law, juris doctor, 1971.
Professional: Chief executive officer and board chairman, J.M. Turner & Co. 1978-present; associate in law firm of Woods, Rogers, Muse, Walker & Thornton, 1972-77; clerk to Justice Alex Harman, Virginia Supreme Court, 1971-72.
Governmental positions: Roanoke School Board, 1985-present (chairman 1988-91); Roanoke Civic Center Commission, chairman, 1983-84; Roanoke Neighborhood Partnership, chairman, 1980-81.
Business associations: Board of directors of Carilion Health Systems (1983-present) and First Virginia Bank Southwest (1990-present).
Civic and community activities: Board of directors of Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce (president 1985); United Way of Roanoke Valley (president 1984); Roanoke Symphony Orchestra; Roanoke Valley Science Museum; Salvation Army; and Downtown Roanoke Inc.
Family: Wife, Suzette. Four children: James III, 20; Joseph, 18; Margaret, 14; and Catherine, 10.
Military: United States Marine Corps Reserve, 1967-73.
Keywords:
PROFILE
by CNB