Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, October 30, 1995 TAG: 9510300101
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BEDFORD LENGTH: Long
Stanley Butler has a reason to care about Bedford County schools. He has four children in them, and his wife is a teacher.
Butler says he thinks the county schools should get back to basics to improve test scores. They should provide students with textbooks the children can carry home to study, he says.
Butler also thinks school board members should be held accountable to voters and the superintendent should be held accountable to the board.
A few years ago, he helped circulate petitions to get a referendum on the change to an elected school board in Bedford County.
Butler, a 48-year-old business executive, decided to run for the board because he thinks it is time for changes in the school system.
At a recent candidates' forum, he ticked off nearly a dozen changes he would like to see. He never mentioned his opponent, Ben Shrader, but his message was clear: The status quo is no longer acceptable.
Shrader, a nine-year board member and current chairman, responded to Butler's challenge.
Shrader, 50, defended his record in helping establish a dozen new educational programs and supporting 17 building projects in the fastest growing school system west of Richmond.
Bedford County's schools have the lowest dropout rate and the lowest administrative costs in Western Virginia, he said. "I am proud of what has been accomplished."
An engineer and father of two children, Shrader asked the audience of nearly 100 at Bedford Middle School whether they were willing to gamble on change or support proven accomplishment.
In Bedford County, eight candidates are running for four School Board seats.
The political debate over school issues is new in Bedford and other Western Virginia counties, where school board elections are being held for the first time.
The elections have been overshadowed by high-profile campaigns for the General Assembly, boards of supervisors and county constitutional officers. But dozens of school board candidates are competing for voters' attention throughout the region.
Seventy-five people are vying for 41 seats in nine counties stretching from Bedford to Pulaski. All school board seats are being filled in Craig, Giles, Floyd, Franklin and Pulaski counties. Other counties have staggered elections, and only part of their boards are being elected this year.
Roanoke County is the only locality in the region where a school board election has been held previously: Three members were elected last year and two will be chosen this year.
Statewide, 678 school board candidates are running in 75 counties. All are running as independents, because state law prohibits the political parties from nominating school board candidates.
Like Butler, many of the candidates have children or grandchildren in school. Some are stressing that as one of their qualifications.
Some are doing almost no campaigning. William Brown Jr., a candidate in Roanoke County, has received no contributions and has spent nothing on his campaign. John Reed, another Roanoke County candidate, has spent $199.
Without a political organization, many candidates are relying mainly on their reputations in the community and speeches at candidate forums to win votes.
Many school board hopefuls, especially appointed incumbents who have never run for office, don't see themselves as politicians. Some do not want to answer questions about education issues and did not respond to a questionnaire by The Roanoke Times.
Cass Canon, media relations director for the Virginia School Boards Association, said some candidates have sought advice from the statewide organization on how to run a campaign. The VSBA has developed a guide for candidates in both the elected and appointed systems.
Some candidates quickly are learning the techniques of running for elected offices and are beginning to use traditional campaign approaches and materials. At a recent Bedford County forum, a table was filled with brochures and fliers for candidates in four magisterial districts.
Some candidates also have put up signs - similar to those for General Assembly candidates - along highways and in yards.
Despite Butler's call for changes in Bedford County, the campaign between him and Shrader in District 7 has not become bitter.
"One of my fears of school board elections was that it would get personal, but that has not happened," Shrader said. "It hasn't gotten bad like the General Assembly races."
For the most part, the school board candidates have focused on themselves and the issues, with little negative campaigning.
Twelve candidates, including 11 appointed incumbents, are running unopposed in the region.
In most places, voters are concerned about academic standards, test scores, educational funding, discipline, class size and school buildings. And some are speaking out on the candidates and the issues.
"I'm not happy with Ben Shrader and the county School Board. They have spent millions on buildings, but they have not been concerned about what is happening in the classroom," Georgia Campbell, a Bedford County voter, said at a recent forum.
Joyce Pedigo, chairwoman of the Christian Coalition in Bedford County, said she also is concerned about what she described as a drop in academic standards in recent years. She said that is one reason Butler's call for changes has resonated with some voters.
Sandy Hurt, a senior at Liberty High School, said she was glad to hear some candidates call for better discipline in schools. "It is poor sometimes and we need tougher standards."
Erika Masters, a Liberty junior, said students also are concerned about academic standards and the need for good college preparatory courses.
In Roanoke County, the largest school system in the region, the campaign in the Cave Spring District has focused on the need for a new high school and other school improvements.
All three candidates - William Irvin, Vern Jordahl and Carol White - support construction of a new high school that has been recommended by consultants and a steering committee.
All three have children in school and cite that as one reason for their interest in running for the board.
Maurice "Buck" Mitchell, who has represented the district for six years, chose not to run because he said he did not have the time - and he didn't like the idea of having to campaign.
Irvin, an insurance executive and former banker, said he does not consider himself to be a politician, but rather a parent who shares voters' concerns about schools.
"I know you get tired of politicians on television and in the news, but I don't think that school board candidates are politicians," Irvin told about 25 people at a recent PTA meeting.
The Cave Spring candidates have said little about each other, focusing on their own qualifications and views on issues.
White, a medical technologist, says a mother's perspective is needed on the School Board, which has no women. Irvin said his banking and financial experience would be helpful on the board. And Jordahl, a professor of medical and biomedical ethics at the College of Health Sciences, said the board needs a professional educator.
Jordahl, 61, has run the most aggressive campaign, blaming the School Board for a lawsuit over the parental responsibility contract, the county's scores on the Scholastic Assessment Test that are below the national average, and the board's refusal to allow parents to speak at some meetings.
White, 48, and Irvin, 45, have been less critical of county schools and the board, but they have complained about the condition of school buildings.
All three candidates are running low-budget campaigns. Irvin has spent $628 for bumper and lapel stickers, brochures and other campaign literature. Jordahl has spent $338, and White, $295, based on their latest finance reports.
Roanoke County also has a contest in the Catawba District, where there are three candidates.
In Franklin County, 12 candidates are running for eight seats. Snow Creek is the only district with no incumbent running; Herman Craig, a 12-year veteran, decided to step down.
Terry Lovell, a pilot for Carilion Health System's Life-Guard 10 emergency helicopter, and G.B. Washburn Jr., manager of the Bedford office for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are seeking to replace Craig. Each has a child in school.
Lovell, 45, decided to enter the political process because of his concern for schools. "Education is the most important thing that you can give a child," he said.
Washburn, 31, said he always has been interested in education issues and accountability in schools. His father was involved in politics and served on the Franklin County Board of Supervisors.
Lovell and Washburn said they agree on many issues. Early in the campaign, they made a gentlemen's agreement to spend no more than $200 to $300 on their campaigns.
"I've enjoyed the campaign, but this is not going to make or break me," Washburn said.
Said Lovell: "It's hard to say how it will turn out. I can't afford a poll. But it has been an experience."
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB