Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, October 24, 1994 TAG: 9410240026
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Leggette also contends that he's the candidate in the Windsor Hills district with the best chance of getting the most money for schools from the Board of Supervisors.
Leggette says that, with his endorsements and skills in building coalitions, he's the one.
He has been endorsed in his campaign for the School Board by the chairmen of both the Democratic and Republican parties in the county. The Roanoke County Education Association's political-action committee also has endorsed him.
There is no provision in state law for political parties to nominate candidates for school boards, but the law does not prohibit them from endorsing candidates.
All candidates in the Roanoke County election are running as independents.
In Leggette's case, neither the Democratic nor Republican parties have endorsed him. Instead, the chairmen of the parties have personally endorsed him.
Leggette, 46, has called for more parental involvement in schools and better communication among administrators, parents and the School Board.
The views of parents should be sought before decisions are made, he said.
To help ensure that Windsor Hills parents and voters are kept informed, Leggette said he would distribute a newsletter and appoint an advisory committee to improve communication.
During the campaign, Leggette said he has heard complaints from parents that important decisions often are made without their input.
He cited the recent proposal to realign the grades at the Cave Spring and Hidden Valley junior high schools. Because of a protest by parents, school administrators put the plan on hold.
If Leggette had been on the School Board, he said, he could have alerted school administrators to the brewing opposition. He wants to empower parents as co-decision-makers.
Leggette, a lawyer, also has made safety an issue, saying that many parents are worried about violence and weapons in schools. Publicity about a North Cross School student who took a gun to school has heightened parents' concerns.
He said that administrators should closely monitor the situation to make sure that it doesn't become a problem.
Leggette said he would vote to expel students who bring weapons or drugs to school.
Leggette said he also would seek funding for a new Cave Spring High School and other improvements to ease overcrowding in schools in Southwest Roanoke County.
He believes that School Board members should be more aggressive in lobbying the Board of Supervisors for money. He expects that to happen with an elected board.
Leggette said the county has plenty of school plans, but it needs money to implement them. One of his opponents, Lisa Merrill, said the county needs a long-range plan for schools, but Leggette said the school plans are adequate.
"We are competing for limited funds. We need to get our share," he said.
Teachers' salaries should be increased to help pace with those in other school systems, he said.
Leggette said he has no complaints about Superintendent Deanna Gordon and the current School Board, even though he would have preferred they had been more outspoken earlier on the need to ease overcrowding.
Leggette always has had an interest in education and teaching. He was a part-time lecturer at Piedmont Virginia Community College while he attended the University of Virginia Law School. His father was a professor at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
Leggette continues to teach, serving as a frequent lecturer on legal ethics and other topics for the Committee on Continuing Legal Education of the Virginia Law Foundation.
Because of the endorsements, there is speculation that Leggette might be interested in a political career, but he said he has no plans to run for higher office.
"I would be happy just serving on the School Board," he said.
THOMAS LEGGETTE WINDSOR HILLS DISTRICT
Age: 46.
Birthplace: Northern Virginia.
Occupation: A lawyer with Woods, Rogers and Hazlegrove. A lecturer on legal ethics.
Education: Virginia Tech, bachelor's and master's degrees; University of Virginia Law School.
Community activities:: Virginia Museum of Transportion board of directors and New Century Council member; Oak Grove and Hidden Valley Junior High Parent Teacher Association; and Cave Spring Softball League.
No. 1 concern or goal as a board member: Upgrade the quality of the schools with more technology, make schools safe and obtain more funds for education.
Last book read: "The Learning Gap"
Family: wife, Dianne; children, Kimberly, Oak Grove Elementary School; and Jennifer, Hidden Valley Junior High School.
Keywords:
POLITICS PROFILE
by CNB