Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 30, 1995 TAG: 9506300038
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
DeBolt was in Manassas Park last Friday, where he was named city school superintendent as of August.
The county School Board accepted his written resignation Thursday night, following a closed session to discuss personnel.
The board also accepted the resignation of Don Skeens, a 25-year veteran with the school system now teaching in the county's Alternative School.
Skeens is moving to Chesterfield County where his wife has been promoted to a position with State Farm Insurance Co. He is a former president of the county's Education Association and has been active in campaigning for school improvements over the years.
DeBolt, 50, came to Pulaski County four years ago from Henrico County, where he had been principal of several schools and in 1988 was named outstanding secondary school principal by the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals.
He made a number of innovations at Pulaski County High School, one of the first being the installation of a homework hot line. It is a communications system which parents can call after school hours for recorded messages from their children's teachers on what was covered in class that day, what assignments are for the next day and any other announcements.
DeBolt and his staff worked to improve attendance in a number of ways, including allowing juniors with "B" averages and minimal absences to skip exams. That caused a minor flap in 1991 when it turned out such a policy had to be approved by the School Board and had not been.
Superintendent Bill Asbury said the board hired DeBolt to use his initiative to reduce absenteeism, and using no exams as a carrot seemed to help accomplish that. In the end, the board endorsed the decision.
Under DeBolt, the school brought in motivational speakers to address students at the start of each school year and honored an outstanding student as that year's Most Valuable Cougar.
DeBolt persuaded the School Board to approve a fund drive to build a fitness center, now completed, at the high school. The center was built and equipped through contributions of money, materials and labor and without spending public funds.
Other initiatives at the high school included the start of block scheduling two years ago, replacing a seven-period day. At that time, Pulaski County High was one of the first schools in Virginia to try the longer and fewer classes per day. Since then, many other schools have adopted that procedure.
DeBolt also pushed successfully for the toughening of graduation requirements at the high school.
He has not been without detractors, though. Some parents objected to the most recent additional classes required for graduation, effective with the next incoming freshman class. Block scheduling has been criticized by people involved in such courses as music or drama because it reduced opportunities to take electives in those fields. There were those who thought DeBolt was too inflexible on pushing attendance to the detriment of field trips.
But in the four years that DeBolt has been principal, the school has seen higher grades, better test scores, less absenteeism and fewer disciplinary problems.
The School Board learned Thursday night that attendance has improved throughout the school system. Asbury said it was close to 95 percent during the 1994-95 year.
"I think we've turned the corner on getting kids to school more often, and it's at every level," he said.
The board also is considering policy revisions on how it handles substance abuse and weapons on school property.
Asbury spoke of "a generation of children having access to firearms at an unparalleled rate" today and the necessity of tough penalties to hammer home the message that weapons in schools will not be tolerated. He said alcohol is the major substance abuse problem currently.
"Especially in Pulaski County, we're seeing more alcohol abuse right now than we're seeing of drug abuse," he said.
by CNB