THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 25, 1994 TAG: 9410250495
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
His pledge to overhaul Virginia's education system has been cited as a key reason George F. Allen was elected governor last fall. At a public hearing Monday night at Menchville High School, it became readily apparent why.
A panel handpicked by Allen in May to recommend ways to improve public schools fielded dozens of suggestions. About 200 parents, educators and other interested citizens from across Hampton Roads attended the session sponsored by the Governor's Commission on Champion Schools.
One of the hottest topics of debate focused on school choice, including the use of state funds to finance tuition tax credits or vouchers for parents who want to send their children to private schools.
Many speakers said increasing options will strengthen rather than weaken public schools. Some charged that public schools were a monopoly controlled by teachers' unions and could use a healthy dose of competition.
``Competition is the name of the game in America,'' said Jim Hinshaw of Norfolk, who teaches at the private Norfolk Christian High School.
``If nobody shows up (at public schools), they'll either go the way of failed department stores or they'll change their offerings,'' said Bob Pickles, a Virginia Beach businessman whose two children are home-schooled.
``I don't believe there's so much apathy among parents as it is a feeling of hopelessness. They don't feel they have a say.''
But other speakers said they were uneasy about the prospect of the state spending tax dollars on private schools.
``Public education is the basis of the American system, and I don't think paying people to go to a private school is the way to go,'' said Keith Hansen, a Newport News math and computer science teacher. ``Parents already have that choice - they can finance it.''
Marshall McCorkle, a teacher at Willoughby Elementary in Norfolk and a board member on the Education Association of Norfolk, said the association supports options within public schools but has serious concerns about diverting public funds for private education.
``We're not for anything that would take money away from the public schools,'' McCorkle said.
Many educators said they favored giving parents broader choices, whether it be within the public system or at private schools. What worried them, they said, was that many students might be excluded from attending the school of their choice.
In Portsmouth, which has debated the idea of hiring a private company to manage some of its schools, Superintendent Richard Trumble said officials are interested in offering more choices. But there must be safeguards, he said.
``It has to be an inclusive system,'' Trumble said Monday. ``I'm not prepared to have my tax dollars be used to exclude.''
Monday's public hearing was the fifth of seven that the commission is holding across the state. The panel plans to have a draft set of recommendations to Allen by early December.
The 53-member commission is reviewing a wide range of areas, including school safety and discipline, academic standards, parental and community involvement in the schools and professional standards for teachers.
KEYWORDS: GOVERNOR'S COMMISSION ON CHAMPION SCHOOLS
by CNB