Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 26, 1995 TAG: 9506260155
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Deanna Gordon does not get ruffled easily.
During her first year as Roanoke County's school superintendent, she has stayed busy with many issues that have not dealt directly with children in the classroom. Some were anticipated, but others have been unexpected and irksome.
At times, Gordon, as successor to Bayes Wilson, must have wondered whether the job description for her post was correct.
She has overseen the transition to an elected School Board and the move of school administrative offices out of Salem.
She has contended with a shaky start to planning for new school facilities in southwest Roanoke County and with sharp attacks about the school budget from the Board of Supervisors.
If the uncertainty about the Cave Spring High School and Southwest County building issues was not enough, she has been confronted with a big jump in the projected costs for the new gymnasium for Northside High School.
And she also had to cope with the death of Shayla Worley, a 5-year-old kindergartner who was run over by a school bus in Vinton.
Gordon, 56, has remained steady through it all, with no loss of enthusiasm or frustration, except for sadness over the child's death.
Yet, she said she has found the year to be surprising and rewarding - and no tougher than she expected, despite the unexpected events.
``I am surprised at how much I have enjoyed it,'' said Gordon, a teacher and administrator for 34 years before becoming superintendent. ``I still look forward to it every day.''
She leaves home at 7 a.m. and doesn't get home until 8 or 10 many nights - and sometimes at midnight when the School Board meets.
Since becoming superintendent, she has spent 120 nights attending school activities, but she says she never tires of them. She and her husband, Ed, also go to many football and basketball games, concerts and other events.
Her first year has been rewarding, she said, because the school system has begun to address its capital building and technology needs, and it has developed a five-year plan of goals for teacher salaries.
Gordon is also pleased the School Board won approval of a budget that provides 4.8 percent pay raises for teachers, even though several supervisors criticized the plan because it called for the use of year-end surplus funds.
Gordon said she has not been intimidated or discouraged by the supervisors because she knows they have a long history of support for education.
Gordon said the supervisors have funded most of the growth in the school budget in recent years because the state has provided little increase in state aid for suburban counties.
She has sympathy for rural counties and cities that have benefited from state-school disparity funds, but she believes the General Assembly has not recognized the needs of Roanoke County and similar school systems.
Gordon's style, combined with the switch to an elected School Board, has produced more debate on school issues, particularly in meetings with the supervisors. Gordon and the board have become strong advocates for the schools.
``It's a different situation with an elected board,'' Supervisor Bob Johnson said.
The change in the selection method also produced more dissension on the School Board, particularly about the hiring of consultants for the feasibility study and the design of a new Cave Spring High School or alternative school facilities for Southwest Roanoke County. Board member Thomas Leggette objected to the hiring of a Richmond firm to do both the feasibility study and design.
Still, Gordon believes that the transition to the elected board has gone smoothly, although it has required administrators to spend more time briefing new board members about issues.
Three board members were elected last year, and the remaining two will be elected in November.
Four of the five members who voted last year to appoint Gordon superintendent have chosen not to run to keep their seats. Only Vice Chairman Jerry Canada will stay on, but Gordon said that has not caused her to feel insecure.
Gordon said she was surprised that Frank Thomas, board chairman for a decade, decided not to run.
``He has been so closely involved in school matters that it will be hard to replace him,'' she said.
Gordon said she will also miss the experience of other board members who decided not to run.
Gordon said she has spent more time on the Cave Spring High School issue in her first year than she anticipated. ``A year ago, it was a sleeper,'' she said.
There had been discussion of crowded schools in Southwest Roanoke County for a decade, but no action had been taken.
Shortly after she became superintendent, however, the supervisors approved $1.5 million for architectural and engineering fees for a new school.
That triggered a debate, and Supervisor Lee Eddy pressed for a study to determine the best way to meet the schools' space needs. Eddy said one new high school might not necessarily be the best solution. He raised the possibility of two smaller high schools, using existing buildings.
Consultants are studying the issue and will make a recommendation this fall. Gordon doesn't have a preference between one or two high schools: One might be more efficient, she said, but she understands that some parents might be leery of a large school.
She welcomes the public interest and debate. ``Anything that gets more people interested in schools is healthy. I like to have it,'' she said.
Despite a superintendent's many duties, Gordon still gives high priority to academics and students' success in the classroom. The county has a tradition of high academic achievement and students with test scores above state and national averages.
``My challenge is to not allow us to become complacent,'' she said. ``Our students achieve well. We have an enviable record.''
But she said that should not preclude the county from helping students who are less talented academically.
``The tough issue is, how do you get all of the students to achieve well?'' Educators have not found a way to ensure success by all students, she said, but the county is trying to strengthen programs for different types of students.
The county has a strong instructional staff, Gordon said, but it is constantly looking at ways to upgrade its programs. A committee is studying a possible shift to block scheduling, with longer periods for high school students and an extended school year.
In an extended year, there would be longer breaks in the winter and spring and the summer vacation would be shorter.
Gordon is the first female superintendent in Roanoke County - and one of fewer than a dozen female superintendents in 135 school divisions in the state.
She has spent her entire career with Roanoke County, and she never wanted to be superintendent in another locality.
Nothing has happened to change her mind during her first year. She feels even stronger about the school system now. She said there is only one drawback to the job: there isn't enough time to do everything she'd like to do.
by CNB