Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, October 19, 1995 TAG: 9510230002
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
So why is he running for the Roanoke County School Board?
Not because he has any political ambitions or burning desire to be on the board, he said.
Brown said he's running partly because of a sense of civic responsibility.
And he had a second reason: He wants to prevent a "liberal" from winning the Catawba District seat and putting in new educational programs in county schools.
Brown thought he owed county schools something because he has six children, and five are either in school or have graduated. The sixth is too young to attend school.
"I've got all of these children, and my sister told me that I ought to consider running for the board after [Catawba District member Frank Thomas] said he would not run," Brown said.
An educational and political conservative, Brown said he also was afraid that "someone might get in there" and try to change the direction of the school system after board Chairman Thomas departs.
"They're forever putting in new programs, and I'd like to see the schools continue basically in the way they are going," he said.
Brown said he didn't even know that the job paid anything when he entered the race. Board members receive a $2,900 salary, and the chairman is paid $4,000 a year.
He is running in a three-way contest in Catawba, the largest magisterial district in the county and the only one with two high schools, Glenvar and Northside. He is opposing John Reed and Marion Roark.
Brown, 42, is a product of the county school system, having attended schools in the Catawba District. He graduated from Glenvar High School in 1971 and is a graduate of Virginia Tech with an accounting degree.
Brown, owner of Aztec Rental Center in Salem, said some Catawba residents believe their district has been slighted in school facilities and programs.
"They feel that they haven't always been treated fair," he said.
He believes schools need to put more emphasis on core subjects such as math, English and science. They also should steer students who are not going to college into vocational education courses, he said.
"We still have some kids who can't add and subtract," he said. "You go to the grocery store, and you see kids working who can't do simple math."
Some educators urge almost all students to attend college, but Brown said college may not be for everyone.
"We will need carpenters, plumbers, auto mechanics, bricklayers and many other skilled workers," he said.
"Some students might be better suited for these jobs, and we need to make sure they have marketable skills if they are not going to college."
Court rulings in recent years have eroded the schools' ability to discipline students and maintain order, he said. The courts also have made some parents reluctant to punish their children, which, he said, has contributed to the discipline problem.
"If parents do anything to their children, they might get called up on a charge of child abuse," he said.
Brown agrees with conservatives who want the state's sex-education program to be changed from an "opt-out" to an "opt-in" plan so that parents would have to give written permission for their children to participate.
"I don't think that sex education needs to be removed completely, but I don't think they need as much in elementary school," he said. Local school systems should have the authority to decide whether to offer the program, he said.
Brown doesn't think the state-mandated program has been successful in preventing teen-age pregnancies and other problems.
Although a Republican, Brown doesn't agree with Gov. George Allen and GOP leaders in the General Assembly who favor charter schools, which would be publicly financed but operated by private groups.
"Instead of charter schools, we need to fix public schools," Brown said. "A lot of people want to home-school their children. That should tell you something about public schools."
Neither does he support vouchers or tax credits because he is afraid that could "open up a can of worms" to a lot of other requests for tax funds.
Like all candidates, Brown is running as an independent because state law prohibits political parties from nominating candidates for school boards.
Brown said he would prefer two smaller high schools in Southwest County instead of one large school to relieve the overcrowding at Cave Spring High. Smaller schools provide more opportunities for students to participate in sports and other extracurricular activities, he said.
Brown doesn't favor the proposed extended school year that would eliminate the long summer vacation and provide several shorter breaks throughout the year.
Students wouldn't be able to find jobs if they had breaks that lasted only three weeks and families would find it difficult to schedule summer vacations, he said.
But he's not totally against block scheduling, another issue that is being studied by county school officials. In block scheduling, students take longer but fewer classes per day.
"There are pros and cons. It depends on the subject and I could see it could work for some courses," he said.
Brown believes that the state should provide more money for education, particularly for the construction and maintenance of school buildings. He believes that part of the state lottery profits ought to be returned to school divisions for building projects.
WILLIAM "BILL" BROWN JR.
Age: 42.
Hometown: Born in New York. Moved to Roanoke Valley at the age of 2.
Education: Virginia Tech, bachelor's degree in accounting.
Professional: Owner of Aztec Rental Center with centers in Salem, Blacksburg and Lynchburg.
Family: Married; six children.
Quote: "I'm not sure [schools] have the right approach on discipline. Most kids who get suspended want to get kicked out. The schools allow the kids to make up the work. It's not that I am for corporal punishment, but have them mop the floor or do something besides giving them a vacation."
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB