Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 20, 1995 TAG: 9504200108
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Melinda Payne wants the city School Board to be a stronger advocate for schools and to lobby harder for more money for education.
"You need to keep talking about the need for money all of the time - not just at budget time," she said.
One reason she is seeking a board seat, she said, is to push for change and try to make schools a higher priority for the city.
"Education is one of the most underestimated institutions," she said. "A lot of people look at teachers as glorified baby sitters, but I know differently."
Payne, 37, believes Roanoke's teachers are underappreciated and underpaid. She has many friends who are teachers, she said, and she knows how hard they work.
Some teachers are demoralized because their salaries are lower than those of teachers in Salem and Roanoke County, she said. "If I was in the same situation, it would not sit well with me."
Many teachers won't express their views because of the fear of reprisals, she said. She wants school administrators to grant amnesty to teachers so they can say what is on their minds. "We need to open up communication so teachers will feel free to express themselves."
Payne, New River Valley circulation manager for the Roanoke Times & World-News, was a finalist for a board seat three years ago when the Rev. Nelson Harris and Don Poff were appointed.
She has been a member of the Roanoke Civic Center Commission for three years. She was vice chairwoman of the city manager's Community Relations Task Force on racial issues and the Police Department.
Payne, the mother of a fourth-grader at Highland Park magnet school, said she long has been interested in schools.
During her career with the Times & World-News, she has worked with the Newspaper in Education program and become acquainted with many teachers, students and school administrators.
She started at the newspaper as an editorial assistant, then went on to be a reporter, copy editor, customer service manager in the circulation department, and recruiting and training manager. She also was a reporter for WDBJ (Channel 7) for two years.
Payne thought she wanted to be a nurse when she was growing up, but she changed her career plans after deciding that she was not prepared to deal with the death of patients.
She decided to go into journalism and the newspaper business after working as a summer intern at the newspaper.
Payne believes she can understand school issues better because she has a daughter in school. "That helps me to understand what other parents are experiencing," she said.
Superintendent Wayne Harris has been praised by many School Board members and parents for his performance during his first two years in the post.
But Payne said she has heard complaints by some teachers and school employees.
"Some folks were hoping that Wayne would be different, but some things haven't changed," she said.
Besides being afraid to speak up, Payne said, some teachers are disappointed that Harris has gone outside the school system to fill some administrative posts.
She believes the School Board should be more aggressive in seeking school funds from City Council. If the federal and state governments won't provide more money, she said, council is the only place to look.
"You've got to have competitive salaries, or your best teachers will go somewhere else," she said.
"The money for the magnet schools is drying up, and it's going to be hard to keep the technology up to date. It is putting a strain on the budget."
Last week, the School Board approved a $23 million technology plan that is designed to put Roanoke schools on the cutting edge of educational technology over the next decade.
Under the proposed financing plan, the schools hope to raise about $10 million in corporate grants, private donations and federal funds. The rest would come from school operating funds, bond issues and year-end surpluses.
Payne said the School Board needs to make taxpayers aware of the schools' needs and build community support for schools. The school system belongs to the community and the people need to support it, she said.
Payne wants the schools to take a more active role in trying to lower Roanoke's teen-age pregnancy rate, one of the highest in the state.
She said sex education needs to begin in the elementary grades and that schools need to be more open about the subject. The schools should not be reluctant to stress abstinence, she said.
"We've got to get across the message to say 'no' to sex," she said. "There is nothing wrong with getting out of the teen years without sex."
Parents also must become involved in the teen-age pregnancy issue, she said. "We can't leave it to the schools. We've got to take time to talk with the children."
Payne supports the School Board's get-tough policy on expelling students who bring drugs or weapons to schools. A dozen students have been expelled in the past two years.
"There is no place for weapons in school. As the mother of child in school, I don't want to see weapons endanger children," she said. "You've got to set the right tone."
MELINDA PAYNE
Seeking appointment to Roanoke School Board
Age: 37
Hometown: Blue Ridge, in Botetourt County
Education: Hollins College, bachelor of arts, English
Professional: New River Valley circulation manager, Roanoke Times & World-News
Governmental: Roanoke Civic Center Commission; Roanoke City Schools Long-Range Planning Committee; Community Relations Task Force
Community: United Way; Trust-Roanoke Valley Trouble Center; Henry Street Festival Committee
Family: Divorced, a daughter, Jamie, 9, fourth-grader at Highland Park Learning Center, a magnet school
Quote: ``The School Board needs to be a strong advocate for schools and for more money for schools. Just talking about the need for money at budget time is not enough. You've got to talk to City Council year-round. You can't wait for a financial crisis.''
This is the last in a series of profiles on the three applicants for two seats on the Roanoke School Board.
Keywords:
PROFILE SERIES
by CNB