Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 8, 1995 TAG: 9505080143
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Don Poff has stayed focused on the students who are not going to college.
He has given priority to the young people who are more interested in business and technical education than in an academic, college-bound curriculum.
And he has given attention to the children in trouble who have been transferred to the alternative education program. He has tried to assure that the Roanoke school system meets their needs.
As a School Board member, Poff feels a kinship with students in vocational courses and the alternative education program.
He had no opportunity to go to college when he graduated from the old Andrew Lewis High School, which was part of the Roanoke County school system.
Poff, whose parents were separated, grew up in foster homes. As a youngster, he was shuttled from home to home and school to school in Roanoke and Roanoke County.
"Sometimes I feel like I went to almost every school in the city - and some in the county," he said.
When Poff graduated from high school, he joined the Air Force, a decision that would lead to a career with the Federal Aviation Administration.
He later got a college degree in physics, but he never forgot what it was like to be a high school student who was not headed to college.
When Poff was appointed to the School Board, he decided to push for improvements in vocational and alternative education.
As he prepares to leave the board, he gets the most satisfaction from his role in upgrading the business and technical education curriculum and overhauling alternative education.
"We have a better mixture of business and technical education now. We now provide counseling to middle school students who want to enroll in business and technical courses," Poff said.
The alternative education program has been revamped and moved to Valley Court, a former shopping center at Interstate 581 and Hershberger Road.
Poff, 50, did not seek a second term on the School Board because the demands of his job as a sector field office manager for the FAA will increase soon.
He has been supervising FAA navigational and radar personnel in the region that includes airports in Roanoke, Blacksburg and Martinsville and in Lewisburg, W.Va.
This region will be merged with the region that includes Lynchburg, Danville and South Boston. Poff will be the manager for the combined territory, and he will be traveling a lot.
Board Chairman Nelson Harris said Poff carved out a niche in business and technical education.
Poff also was helpful on budget and employee issues, including pay and morale, Harris said. Poff has been chairman of the board's Audit Committee.
"Don can be a quiet presence at board meetings, but he has raised questions and faxed information privately that has helped board members better understand issues," Harris said.
Poff hates to leave the board, because he said he will miss being an advocate for the children. He enjoys visiting the schools and talking with teachers and students.
He believes the school system is in excellent condition, describing it as second to none. But he believes that teachers everywhere are underpaid.
"Society has no problem of paying millions of dollars to athletes. We ought to pay teachers more," he said.
Roanoke needs to offer salaries to attract the best and brightest teachers and stop comparing itself with Salem and Roanoke County, he said.
The biggest challenge for the school system is "keeping a global perspective and looking beyond the mountains," Poff said. "We need to ensure that our students are prepared to compete in the 21st century."
He has no complaints about City Council's financial support of the schools, even though some School Board members would like to have provided larger teacher raises this year.
Poff said council has to consider the financial needs of the whole city, not just the schools. "We can't keep going back to council and asking for more money," he said.
The toughest part of being a School Board member is voting on the expulsion of a student for violations of the student conduct code, such as bringing drugs or a weapon to school, Poff said.
Board Vice Chairman Marilyn Curtis believes Poff has been a more effective member during the latter half of his term. He was aligned with former board member Wendy O'Neil on some controversial personnel issues during his early months on the board.
"I think he is a better member now. It takes a while to understand the issues," she said.
Gary Waldo, executive director of the Roanoke Education Association, said teachers are sorry to see Poff leave, because he has been accessible and willing to listen to their concerns.
"He's been very educator-oriented and concerned about the atmosphere that teachers work in," Waldo said.
Over the objection of the school administration, Poff pressed for a survey of teachers' concerns about their work environment, Waldo said.
"We think he has been very fair-minded, and we would like to see him come back on the board later, if he has time," Waldo said.
The REA will give Poff an award next month to express its appreciation for his sensitivity to teachers' issues during his years on the board.
As a board member, Poff said, he sometimes receives phone calls from parents on school issues and usually refers them to school administrators.
Poff says he thinks Superintendent Wayne Harris is doing a good job, and that the School Board made the right choice in choosing Harris to succeed Frank Tota.
"He has brought focus and direction to the school system. He has involved the community and the parents," Poff said. Harris is accessible to board members and the community, he said.
Board members meet with Harris for monthly one-on-one sessions.
"We can bring up whatever we want to. We can bring up our concerns or any other issue," Poff said.
For years, there were complaints that the school system was top-heavy with administrators, but Poff said that no longer is the case. Roanoke's spending on the administrative staff is 15 percent below the national average.
So what advice does Poff have for his successor?
Be patient. Be understanding of students and teachers. Be prepared to spend long hours in meetings. Visit the schools; talk with teachers and students. And, Poff says, don't be afraid to challenge people.
CLUBERT "DON" POFF
Leaving Roanoke School Board after current term
Age: 50
Hometown: Roanoke
Education: Oklahoma City University, bachelor of science in physics
Professional: Sector field office manager for the Federal Aviation Administration
Governmental: Roanoke School Board, 1992-present
Community: American Heart Association, Big Brothers-Big Sisters of Roanoke Valley
Family: Married; a daughter, 23, and a son, 5
Quote: "The strength of the school system is in the dedication of the teachers. We have excellent administrators. We have a community and City Council that supports the schools. There are a lot of good things that are going on in the schools."
by CNB