THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 2, 1994 TAG: 9405280179
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHILIP WALZER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940602 LENGTH: Medium
Two high schools will be among 16 schools getting new principals in September: Michael J. Caprio, the principal of Blair Middle School, will move to Granby High School, and Joel R. Wagner, who leads Lake Taylor Middle, will take over Booker T. Washington High.
{REST} Booker T.'s principal, Thomas A. Newby, will be retiring, and Granby's principal, Theodore R. Smith, will become assistant director of pupil personnel in the downtown administration office.
``I'm a new superintendent looking at this with new eyes,'' Roy D. Nichols Jr. said. ``Some may be moving for the best interests of the school system. Some may have been there for a long time and need a fresh challenge. Some are capable of a larger school setting.''
In the downtown office, Nichols will create a division of ``school governance'' to help increase communication between administrators, teachers and parents.
This, Nichols said, will better align the curriculums of elementary and secondary schools. The new division will also give instant answers to principals or teachers who have questions about teaching methods or discipline.
Assistant Superintendent Thomas B. Lockamy, who now oversees elementary schools, will be solely responsible for ``school governance.'' Assistant Superintendent Shirley B. Wilson, who is in charge of secondary schools, plans to retire this summer and will not be replaced.
No employees will be fired in the switch, spokesman George D. Raiss said. But the restructuring could save up to $55,000 a year, Nichols said, because some retiring administrators, such as Wilson, will not be replaced.
In other matters:
The board approved a scaled-down plan to rebuild Granby High School for $15.1 million, down from the planned $19.1 million. Work is to be done by 1997.
The reason, Assistant Superintendent Clyde H. Burnett said, is that the City Council recently appropriated $27.5 million - instead of the School Board's request of $49 million - for building projects in the next five years.
The new building plan includes a note saying that the system might seek more money for Granby if the estimate proves too low. But board member Robert F. Williams said that wasn't good enough and voted against the change.
``I have reservations about lowering the estimate, '' he said. ``That builds expectations, and we bring disappointment if we have to go up to a higher figure.''
Nichols told the board, in his ``state of the union'' address, that the system must increase the number of students getting prestigious National Merit Scholarships. ``I haven't heard of one'' winning the award this year, he said later. ``If we have three in the school system, that's a good year.''
The board offered a potpourri of plaques to dozens of students, including more than 30 in the Strolling Silver Strings musical group, which recently performed at a National School Boards Association convention in New Orleans.
``They just stole the hearts of the people there,'' board Chairwoman Lucy R. Wilson said.
{KEYWORDS} NORFOLK SCHOOL BOARD\
by CNB