ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, January 14, 1997 TAG: 9701140034
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
FANS OF WAYNE HARRIS say his hands-on approach has improved Roanoke's schools, but some teachers say he hasn't supported them enough.
Wayne Harris says he has tried to improve things one student, one class and one school at a time.
That's why he has made more than 600 visits to Roanoke schools since becoming superintendent nearly four years ago.
"The only way we can make a difference is at the local school level - that's the unit of improvement," he said. "I need to know what's going on in the schools - and the students, teachers and principals need to know I care."
Harris visits each school at least four times a year to talk with staff and students. "I get a feel for the climate in each school," he said.
Since succeeding Frank Tota as superintendent in 1993, Harris has reviewed several issues and made changes - some small, some big.
"I've tried to take a systematic and holistic approach with the primary purpose of improving student academic achievement," he said. "That's at the heart of what we're all about."
A Salem native who was an area superintendent in Fairfax County before coming to Roanoke, Harris has stressed academics and established measurable outcomes in test scores and other areas that each school is expected to meet.
His efforts are producing results - with higher test scores, better attendance, fewer dropouts and higher fitness test scores.
Harris has expanded the use of technology in schools, upgraded alternative education for troubled youths, concentrated on improving the quality of teaching, reduced administrative costs, and established a program to provide college scholarships for students with academic potential but who are unlikely to attend college without special assistance.
He has appointed 13 new principals and reassigned seven, recruited several top school administrators and made other personnel changes that he said have improved school leadership.
He has made the changes quietly and avoided the turmoil that occurs sometimes when there is a change in leadership.
Harris, who completed his doctorate at Harvard University since becoming superintendent, has earned praise for his work.
The School Board has agreed to give him a new four-year contract, through 2001. The board is expected to vote on the contract Tuesday.
"He has provided outstanding leadership as our superintendent," said Marsha Ellison, board chairwoman. "He has created a clear vision for our school system, and student achievement has improved."
Other current and former board members, Parent-Teacher Association leaders and community representatives echo Ellison.
"One of his biggest contributions has been his instructional leadership," said City Councilman Nelson Harris, a former board chairman who worked with Harris for three years.
Councilman William White, also a former School Board member, said the superintendent is a "strong role model for our young people who has a lot of support in the community."
Harris has developed a good relationship with City Council and administrators, White said. "He didn't come in and throw out everything. He made a smooth transition, and he has put in some new things, but he has done it professionally."
"He has been good for Roanoke. He has helped bring consensus to the city," said Rev. William Lee, president of the William Fleming High School PTA. "He has tried to be a hands-on superintendent. He's approachable and he wants parents and others to come in and voice their opinions."
Martin Jeffrey, president of the Roanoke chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, gives Harris high marks for expanding magnet schools and pushing for higher academic achievement and better pay for teachers.
But Harris has critics, too - notably Gary Waldo, executive director of the Roanoke Education Association, the teachers' organization.
"There's no question he has done a lot of good things as superintendent, but he has not been as supportive of teachers as he should have been," Waldo said.
Many teachers feel that principals don't back them in student discipline cases, and they think Harris should have taken strong leadership in this area, Waldo said.
Some teachers also say Harris and the School Board have broken a promise to raise teachers' salaries by 6 percent a year for three years to reach the national average.
The teachers' organization did not take a position on the renewal of Harris' contract, said REA President Esther Cirasunda, because members were divided on the issue.
Cirasunda and Waldo have become more outspoken recently, complaining about salaries, discipline and a requirement that teachers must reapply for jobs when middle schools reopen after renovation.
Harris acknowledged that there may be individual cases when principals haven't supported teachers in discipline cases, but he said it isn't a pervasive problem.
Harris said school administrators have developed a new student conduct code. And he said he has taken a strong stand against drugs, weapons and violence in schools.
Harris and board members said the city remains on schedule to increase teachers' salaries to the national average by 1998-99, although the proposed average raise is only 4.1 percent next year. They said a smaller increase is required next year because raises for teachers in the rest of the country were smaller this year than expected.
But city school officials don't know what the increase will be in the national average next year or in 1998-99, Waldo said. Roanoke could fall behind if it doesn't stick with the plan. If a 6 percent raise isn't needed in 1998-99 to meet the national average, the board can lower it then, Waldo said.
Others have complaints about Harris, too.
Kaye Hale, a parent, said Harris and other school officials aren't doing enough to achieve better racial balance in schools.
Although he thinks Harris has done a good job overall, Jeffrey said the school system needs an administrative and teaching staff that is more reflective of the racial diversity of the students.
Jeff Artis, an unsuccessful candidate for City Council and the House of Delegates, has disagreed with Harris on middle school athletics. Artis wants football in middle schools, but Harris opposes it.
Despite the complaints, Harris has solid support among School Board members.
Ellison and other members have refused to disclose details of his proposed new contract. She said they will be made public before the board votes on it.
A rumor has circulated among teachers that Harris asked for a 60 percent raise, but he and board members deny it.
His salary is $111,376, an increase of $16,376, or 17.2 percent, since he became superintendent.
The school chiefs in some larger school systems in Virginia make more than $130,000.
"There is not one ounce of truth to [the] rumor" that Harris asked for a 60 percent increase, said Harry Davis, a board member.
But Waldo said a board member, whom he declines to identify, told him earlier that Harris indicated he wanted a 60 percent raise.
Waldo quoted the anonymous board member as saying:
"Gary, you won't believe this, but when I asked [Harris] if he wanted to stay in Roanoke, he said, 'Yes, if my needs are met. I want a 60 percent raise.'''
Waldo said the board member now denies that the conversation occurred.
"This is absolutely false," Harris said. "I never asked for anything like that, and when the contract is approved, the public will see that."
In recent years, Harris has received the same percentage increase as teachers.
Reflecting on his first term, Harris said he is especially pleased with the increased use of educational technology and the development of a 10-year technology plan for the schools.
When he came to Roanoke, only a few of the city's schools had the latest in computers and other technology, he said. "Even the equipment in my office was antique. Most schools didn't even have fax machines."
As he prepares for the next four years, Harris said, the schools face a tough job as they try to get students with the poorest academic achievement to do better. He said this might be as many as 20 percent of the enrollment.
Student absenteeism is still too high, he said, although attendance has improved. The schools must try to get the parents of students with poor academic records and high absenteeism to become more involved in their children's education, he said.
"The next four years might be tougher because of these challenges, but I'm happy about staying in Roanoke," he said. "This is where I want to be."
LENGTH: Long : 156 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: DON PETERSEN STAFF Wayne Harris (left) goes overby CNBinformation as part of an evaluation for Oakland Elementary School
principal Carroll Smith. Other faculty members are Mary Anne Norman
(from left), Jacquelyn Amrhein and Linda LeFever.