ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 2, 1997 TAG: 9701020079
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
As he prepares to become chairman of the Roanoke County School Board, Michael Stovall said he hopes to end discord in the county over school improvements.
If Stovall gets his way, the School Board and Board of Supervisors will cooperate in fashioning a plan to meet the county's school construction and renovation needs.
And he promises to work with county residents to develop a consensus on school projects and eliminate the rancor that caused the defeat of a bond referendum last year.
"I'm not going to draw a line in the sand," Stovall said. "We've got to try to avoid conflict at all costs."
Stovall said his priority will be better communication with the supervisors, voters and others in the county who care about education.
Stovall, 34, the School Board's current vice chairman, is scheduled to become chairman next week, succeeding Thomas Leggette.
One of his first challenges as chairman will come when a residents' committee that is studying school building needs makes its report, probably in the next 60 days. The panel, which was appointed after the defeat of the bond referendum in April, will make recommendations on school improvements.
Some school officials have estimated that the cost for all needed school projects could exceed $100 million.
"We've got great people in place to run our school system," he said. "Now we've got to provide them the facilities that are needed."
But, he said, "We will probably have to prioritize what the committee recommends."
Stovall said it's too early to speculate whether the county will have another referendum this year or whether it might finance the school projects with bonds sold through the Virginia Public School Authority, which wouldn't require a vote.
"Until I know what the committee recommends and the total cost, I can't say what I think we should do," he said.
Stovall, who represents the Vinton District, said there are differing views on whether it would be wise to hold a bond referendum in November, when there will be a crowded ballot.
Besides the contest for the state's top three offices and the House of Delegates, three supervisors and three School Board members will be up for election.
"The question is: do you add a bond referendum to that and possibly get it lost in the shuffle?" he said.
Stovall, a private investigator and former Vinton police officer, was a strong supporter of last spring's referendum, which would have provided $37.4million for a new Cave Spring High School and several smaller projects.
He campaigned for the bond issue even though most of the money would have been spent on school projects in Southwest Roanoke County.
Stovall has defended school officials against what he thinks has been unfair criticism by the supervisors for a lack of planning and cost overruns on projects.
But he said he wants to end tensions between the supervisors and school officials.
"I'd like to see us have more joint meetings with the supervisors," he said. "We've got to join together. We will all have to bite the bullet [to pay for school improvements]. It won't be easy."
Last year, Stovall took the lead in getting the School Board to increase the tuition for students from outside the county from $100 to $500. He said many voters complained to him that it was unfair for families in nearby localities to send their children to county schools so cheaply without paying real estate taxes to the county.
Despite the tuition increase, nearly 150 nonresidents sought admission to county schools for the first time this year, but only 87 could be enrolled, mainly because of a lack of space. About 700 returning nonresident students were not affected by the tuition increase and were allowed to remain in county schools by paying $100.
Stovall also persuaded the board to put police resource officers in the county's high schools to help reduce drug abuse.
Stovall, who was born and grew up in Vinton, was active in the Boy Scouts and baseball programs for youngsters before he was elected to the board.
He is a graduate of William Byrd High School and studied criminal justice administration at Virginia Western Community College.
As a police officer, he had a reputation of being tough on drunken drivers. In 1987 and 1988, he was the recipient of the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Award for Vinton for the most drunken-driving arrests.
Stovall was endorsed by the Roanoke County Education Association when he was elected to the board. The teachers' organization cited his community work and his support for education.
When he ran in 1994, he complained that some board members were too remote and hard to reach. He promised to be accessible to parents and voters.
As chairman, Stovall said, he will have the same philosophy. "We're going to have to do it together in the county - and we need to communicate with each other. That's going to be one of my biggest goals."
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