THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 16, 1994 TAG: 9407160279
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MECHANICSVILLE LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
Charged with making fundamental changes in the public school system, a state panel began its work Friday in a high school library.
The Governor's Commission on Champion Schools is expected to produce recommendations that will affect virtually every aspect of public education.
Two of its primary goals are a blueprint for safe schools and tough and measurable academic expectations.
``The governor wants bold reform,'' said Randolph A. Beales, a Vienna lawyer appointed executive director of the commission on Thursday. ``The governor came in with a mandate, and he wants to make real changes that will last well beyond his four years in office.''
Beales worked for the U.S. Department of Education during the Reagan and Bush administrations.
Educators acknowledged that the chore is huge and could be controversial.
``It's important that we leave our individual agendas at the doorway,'' state Secretary of Education Beverly Sgro said.
Republican Gov. George F. Allen appointed the commission in May. Its 49 members include state legislators, business and community leaders, teachers, school administrators and parents.
Allen wants them to devise a plan that conforms to his conservative views on education. His campaign pledge to restore tough academic standards and local control appealed to many voters frustrated over school systems run by state directives that often stressed teaching self-esteem and attitudes over scholarship.
Among the panel's potentially volatile subjects is school choice, including government-funded vouchers and tuition tax credits for parents who send their children to private schools.
An Allen objective to return to a ``traditional values'' curriculum also may raise eyebrows.
``There are common-sense values that transcend religious dogma - you don't hurt anybody, you don't steal, you don't curse,'' William C. Bosher Jr., state superintendent of public instruction, said in an interview.
`` `Do unto others as you would have them do unto you' is a religious principal, but in the absence of that faith is a common-sense principle that ought to be taught.''
The state does not have to start from scratch, Bosher told the panel. The best schools already reflect ``champion'' values, he said, including Friday's host, Atlee High. The school, opened three years ago in Hanover County, is on the cutting edge of computer technology.
``We don't have to create standards, all we have to do is harvest them,'' Bosher said.
Commission members divvied up the workload Friday, meeting for the first time in nine subcommittees.
The panel's schedule calls for an initial draft of recommendations by September, then five public hearings in October.
Allen will get an interim report in December, in time for the General Assembly session that starts in January. A final report will be released in April.
Legislative initiatives expected to spring from the commission's work include proposals for local communities to create customized schools and to change the formula for financing school districts.
The commission also will explore alternatives for the state's brightest students and for children who otherwise would be expelled. Efforts also will be made to improve educational and career opportunities for students who do not plan to attend college.
KEYWORDS: PUBLIC SCHOOLS TASK FORCE by CNB