THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 11, 1994 TAG: 9408090147
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 22 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: COVER STORY
BACK TO SCHOOL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 103 lines
After spending much of his first year on the job sizing up the strengths and weaknesses of Norfolk's school system, Superintendent Roy D. Nichols Jr. this spring issued a clear mandate for change.
It began at the top, with a new cabinet structure and the reassignment of principals at more than a quarter of the schools.
As he makes his personal imprint, Nichols says he wants to send a message: Business will not be conducted as usual. Some of the practices he wants to alter had become ingrained during nine years under Gene Carter, the man Nichols replaced last year.
On the surface, his plan appears politically painless: Nobody got fired and it saved taxpayers an estimated $50,000.
``It took one year looking, observing and learning,'' Nichols said recently. ``I believe you'll be able to see measurable improvements next year.''
Among key changes, Nichols:
Created a division of school governance. Nichols named Thomas B. Lockamy Jr., previously assistant superintendent of elementary schools, to head the division. Lockamy's new title: assistant superintendent for school governance.
Eliminated two assistant-superintendent positions. The new division will absorb Lockamy's former duties and those of the assistant superintendent for secondary schools, Shirley B. Wilson. Her spot will not be filled when she retires this fall.
Added an administrative posi tion to monitor the academic performance of students. Nichols tapped Fred M. Oliver, formerly an elementary school principal in Marietta, Ga., as assistant to the superintendent for continuous improvement. Boosting the achievement of minority and low-income students will be a priority.
Formed a new Instructional Council. It is co-chaired by Lockamy and Margaret B. Saunders, assistant superintendent for instructional support services.
The plan was tailored to shorten the chain of command and make the administration more responsive to principals and other schoolhouse officials.
``There are fewer levels to go through, so response time to instructional concerns should be quicker,'' Lockamy said. ``Before, it might have taken months.''
In the past, officials said, top administrators often focused too narrowly on their fields of responsibility. Requests often got lost in a bureaucratic paper shuffle or languished in isolation.
The new Instructional Council will serve as a clearinghouse for school needs and will have a direct link to Nichols.
The new Division of School Governance will oversee operation of the schools and act as a liaison among principals, the administration and the community. Nichols recruited two former principals, Robert F. Hahne of Northside Middle and Rachel Hightower of St. Helena Elementary, and John F. Smith Jr., previously senior director of instruction, to work under Lockamy as directors of school governance.
A significant change is the way schools will be monitored. Instead of dividing oversight of the schools by grade level, as in the past, each director will oversee a chain of schools that ``feed'' students from one grade level to the next.
The same director, for example, would oversee Lake Taylor Elementary, Blair Middle and Maury High, because students living within their attendance boundaries would attend those schools as they progressed up the educational ladder.
Tracking the schools this way could prove invaluable in pinpointing academic weaknesses and strengths and in designing school programs to improve performance.
``You're actually monitoring the same kids all the way from first grade,'' Lockamy said.
The approach lessens the tendency of administrators to ignore areas outside their domain.
``When I was in charge of elementary schools, that's what I lobbied for,'' Lockamy said. ``I had little time to care about the concerns of middle schools or high schools. My charge was to see, for example, that test scores in elementary schools were where the School Board wanted them to be, whereas now, everything is my concern.''
Lockamy said a primary goal is to ``truly return the schools to the community.'' That means principals must become more a part of the community, he said, and ``not somebody who drives in from the suburbs from 8 to 4.''
``I think that's when you'll get more involvement from parents and business participants,'' Lockamy said. ``I think you'll have a feeling of greater ownership, and I think you'll see a difference in the way kids function academically.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Superintendent Roy D. Nichols Jr.
Thomas B. Lockamy Jr.
John F. Smith Jr.
Robert F. Hahne
KEYWORDS: NORFOLK SCHOOLS
by CNB