Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 4, 1995 TAG: 9510040047
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
It would include Governor's School board members, superintendents and possibly school board members from participating jurisdictions, area legislators, officials from the state Department of Education and perhaps others.
The suggestion for such a gathering came from the superintendents and got the endorsement Tuesday of the school's governing board. Board Chairman Ron Whitehead, Pulaski County Superintendent Bill Asbury and Governor's School Executive Director Margaret "Pat" Duncan were appointed to a planning committee to work out meeting details.
Asbury said the superintendents all supported continuance of the Governor's School, where some 90 juniors and seniors from Pulaski, Giles, Floyd, Wythe, Carroll, Smyth and Bland counties and the city of Galax commute from their home schools for a half-day of advanced classes in math, science and technology.
Some of the superintendents recommended exploring distance learning possibilities, so students could take Governor's School classes through interactive television rather than commuting each day. That would also allow students to take a single advanced Governor's School course without enrolling in and commuting to the Governor's School.
In-service courses for teachers also could be taught over interactive TV, where classes and instructors can talk back and forth in real time.
Until that technology is ready, Asbury said, the superintendents favored continuing the school at its current levels unless its facilities can be expanded to accommodate more students.
He said some superintendents had expressed concern about a rumor that state funding of Virginia's eight Governor's Schools was in jeopardy. "We tried to run that down," he said.
What they found out was that summer Governor's Schools bringing students from a region together for a week or so of specialized courses might lose state funding, leaving their costs to fall on localities which might cut participation, he said. But that would not affect the eight year-long schools, according to Education Department officials.
"There's nothing on the table for those to be cut," Asbury said. "They had not heard that in the state department, that those were in jeopardy."
The board also approved Bluefield College's using the Governor's School computers and building from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. once a week for a 15-week course, and learned that some of the school's students will attend the National Consortium of Secondary Schools for Science, Mathematics and Technology annual student conference in Muncie, Ind. Three students from Pulaski, four from Carroll, two from Floyd and one each from Bland and Giles will be leaving this afternoon and returning Sunday.
by CNB