Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 27, 1995 TAG: 9505300052
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MELISSA DeVAUGHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Wat Hopkins, a communications professor at Virginia Tech, will run for the District G seat, which covers the Woodbine area of the county.
Victor Sheppard, who works at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant, will seek a seat in District E, near Prices Fork and McCoy, and Bob E. Anderson, owner of Straight Street Teen Center in Christiansburg, plans to run for the District B seat in Christiansburg and Ellett Valley.
Hopkins and Sheppard have already turned in the signatures and other candidate information that is required by the state. Anderson hopes to turn in his information by the June 13 deadline.
"I am concerned about the future of education in Montgomery County, and I believe I have the expertise, knowledge and dedication to develop a progressive school system that can provide an excellent education for all students," Hopkins said in a news release Friday. "I believe Montgomery County has a great school system, but a system that is being plagued by inequitable spending and low morale. I have established a set of priorities in an attempt to begin to resolve some of these problems."
Hopkins said the School Board needs to improve communications with the community, restore employee morale and continue to work toward the goals of the Focus 2006 group which prioritized educational needs in the county.
Hopkins, 45, has lived in Montgomery County since 1987 with his wife, Roselynn. They have three sons, ages 18, 12 and 5.
Current board member Peggy Arrington and Blacksburg attorney Joe Painter also have announced their candidacies for District G.
Sheppard, who works with current School Board member Barry Worth at the arsenal, hopes to be elected to the District E school board seat.
"I think we need a voice in our community," said Sheppard, who has lived in the Prices Fork area all his life. "There's a lot of concern from people in our community about the schools - even from people who don't have children. I'm a working parent with kids in the school and I see the everyday needs."
Sheppard said, if elected, he would like to perfect the goals of the Focus 2006 group and improve communication between the School Board and the community.
Sheppard said he was approached more than a year ago about running for the School Board in the county's first elections, but he didn't fully consider it until Lou Herrmann announced she would not be running in the fall.
Sheppard, 34, is married to Lori Sheppard. They have two sons, ages 14 and 10. So far, Sheppard is the only candidate to surface for the District E School Board seat.
In Christiansburg, Anderson plans to run for the District B seat, now held by Bob Goncz. Goncz is seeking the democratic nomination to run for the county Board of Supervisors and will not run for the School Board this year.
"I'm running for the kids," Anderson said. "I think it would be good to have somebody who has a student's perspective and give them a fair shake. I just think I could serve the community and parents in a positive way."
Anderson is 36 and a graduate of Life Bible College. He is married to Janelle Anderson and the couple has a 12-year-old daughter. Anderson applied for the District B seat last year when it was up for appointment, but Goncz was reappointed instead. Anderson is the only candidate to announce for the District B seat.
"In the past, the School Board has done a tremendous job and I applaud them for that," Anderson said. "If elected, I hope that I can continue to hold the standard up. I would push for more involvement with the local businesses and keeping the community informed about the Focus 2006 goals."
One other seat will be included in this year's first School Board election. School Board member and retired Army Col. Dick Edwards and Virginia Tech philosophy professor Jim Klagge will run for the District F seat which includes part of Blacksburg.
by CNB