ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, December 11, 1995 TAG: 9512110031
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER
TWO LONGTIME members will leave the Roanoke County School Board this month. But they say the schools remain in good hands.
No longer will Frank Thomas have to cut short his vacations or return early from out-of-town trips to make meetings of the Roanoke County School Board.
But he's already having withdrawal symptoms.
"I have no regrets about my decision, but, to be honest, I'm going to miss it," he said. "I didn't think I would, but I know now I am."
Thomas hasn't missed a meeting since he was appointed to the board nearly 13 years ago. He never set out to have a perfect attendance record, even though he took the job seriously.
"There were a few times when I had the flu or laryngitis that I didn't think I would make it, but I did," he said.
Thomas and another longtime member, Maurice "Buck" Mitchell, will leave the board at the end of the month. They chose not to run in last month's election because, they said, they didn't have time to campaign.
Thomas, the Catawba District member, was the board's chairman for nearly a decade. Mitchell, who has represented Cave Spring, was vice chairman for two years.
With their departure, only one board member will have more than a year of experience. Hollins District representative Jerry Canada, who succeeded Thomas as chairman last summer, has been on the board almost four years.
Four of the five board members at the time the county switched from an appointed to an elected system decided not to try to keep their seats, partly because they opposed the change. A year ago, Barbara "Bootie" Chewning and Charlsie Pafford left the board.
But Thomas and Mitchell don't worry that county schools will suffer because of a relatively inexperienced board.
"I don't think the board will miss a beat," Thomas said. "That had a lot to do with my decision not to run. I have watched the new board members, and I have been comfortable with them."
Some new members might not be familiar with some issues, Mitchell said, but he expects the school system to keep running smoothly because it has a strong administrative staff headed by Superintendent Deanna Gordon.
The outgoing members said they hope the elected board doesn't become polarized, with various sections of the county pitted against each other on school facilities and other issues.
"I don't think that will happen with the group we now have on the board, but it could happen down the line when other people are elected," Thomas said.
Mitchell, who has been on the board nearly seven years, expects elected members to face more pressure from their constituencies to look out for schools in their districts. "It will take a strong person to stand up to territorial pressure and do what is best for the county as a whole," he said.
Thomas, 54, said he tried, as chairman, to maintain harmony on the board and avoid polarization among the members. There was almost a feeling of family, because the members had served together for many years, he said.
That also enabled the members to develop a closer working relationship with the Board of Supervisors and get more money for schools, Thomas said.
During his years as chairman, Thomas has been a strong school advocate and a self-styled head cheerleader who represented the board at hundreds of events.
"I wanted to see the school system excel, and I felt it was my job to be there to show support for the schools," he said.
On top of his responsibilities as vice president of Thomas Bros. Inc., a construction and excavation company, Thomas spent thousands of hours on school business and talked with school officials almost daily during his 10 years as chairman.
His business office is in Salem, not far from where the county school administrative offices were located during most of his tenure. He stopped by the school offices frequently.
Thomas has made fewer trips since the school offices were moved out of Salem and Canada was elected chairman, but he still has kept busy with school issues.
Both Thomas and Mitchell are convinced that the board made the right decision in choosing Gordon to succeed Bayes Wilson as superintendent. "Her experience in the school system helped her pick up right where [Wilson] left off," Mitchell said.
"There is no doubt we got the best person for the job," Thomas said.
When Mitchell, an insurance and investment broker, was appointed to the board in 1988, the school system's health insurance plan was in poor shape. Fewer than half the employees were enrolled. Mitchell used his financial background to help revamp the plan and more than double the enrollment.
Mitchell, 50, noted that the board has renovated and enlarged several schools since he was appointed. It also has developed a plan for a new Cave Spring High School and other school improvements in Southwest County.
"I would like to think we have got the Cave Spring High project on the right track," he said, "but it will take a lot of work to educate our citizens, especially in other areas of the county, about the need for a new school."
The Board of Supervisors is considering a bond referendum next spring to help finance the school. The School Board learned last week that the school is expected to cost $33.6 million - $3.6 million more than the supervisors want to spend. The two bodies will meet Tuesday to try to work out their differences over the cost.
Mitchell and Thomas said the new high school and other building improvements are among the school system's biggest needs.
"We have critical building needs that will require a lot of money in the next five years," Thomas said. Besides the new high school, the board has a separate $50 million capital improvement plan for other schools.
Mitchell said the schools also need more technology. If the county has a shortcoming, it's in this field, he said.
Thomas said the school system's biggest challenge is to maintain a high quality of education with small increases in state aid. He is worried about projections that state revenues will be lower than expected in the next two years.
The supervisors have been providing additional local funds for schools in recent years, but Mitchell said they might have to provide even more if state money is reduced.
One thing Thomas won't miss is dealing with discipline and personnel problems. He said it is the toughest part of being a board member.
"It is so easy to suspend and expel students, but we are charged with educating them," he said. "The decisions can be tough sometimes."
Mitchell said the most difficult task for a board member is getting all of the information needed to make a decision on critical issues.
He thinks one of the school division's strong points is the high morale and professionalism of its teachers and other staff members. "You don't see that enthusiasm in all school systems," Mitchell said. "We don't have some problems that other localities have."
Thomas said the county's strengths are its teachers, administrators and academic programs. One of his pleasures as chairman was recognizing teachers who have won awards in their fields, he said.
Mitchell said it's unlikely he would consider running for the board in the future, because it takes a lot of time and his children are no longer in school. "I think you need some board members with children in school - at least you need some balance on the board."
When Mitchell was appointed to the board, he had three children in county schools. Now his son is a student at Virginia Tech and his two daughters attend James Madison University.
Thomas had two children in county schools when he joined the board. Now his son is a student at Virginia Tech and his daughter is a teacher in North Carolina.
Thomas doesn't rule out the possibility that he might run for the board some day, but he has no plans to do so. "I will always be interested in education, but we'll just have to see what might happen."
Thomas hopes to spend more evenings at home after he leaves the board, but education will remain a topic of conversation with his wife, Shirley. She is an officer in the Virginia Parent-Teacher Association.
During the day, he hopes to spend more time at his family's business. At times, he said, he has been unable to give enough attention to his work because of school business.
Mitchell said his business has suffered, too, because of the demands of the board - particularly during recent months, as he spent more time on the study for a new Cave Spring High School and other projects in Southwest County.
When Thomas decided not to run last spring, he thought it would be a relief to give up the late-night board meetings, phone calls and dictation of letters. "I've felt a little different in the past 60 days because so many people have said nice things to me."
Still, he thinks he made the right choice. Mitchell said he, too, is comfortable with his decision.
LENGTH: Long : 156 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. DON PETERSEN/Staff. Frank Thomas says the board won'tby CNBmiss a beat without him. 2. STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS/Staff. ``Buck''
Mitchell helped revamp the schools' health insurance.