THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 10, 1995 TAG: 9502100505
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
William R. Nichols had expected to ride into the retirement sunset in a couple of years, quietly ending his career as second-in-command to Superintendent C. Fred Bateman.
But, Nichols has discovered, life doesn't always follow a plan.
The School Board voted 7-2 Thursday to name him successor to Bateman, who will retire in summer after 15 years at the city schools' helm.
``It happened quick,'' said Nichols, 57. ``I wasn't expecting it to happen that quick.''
The board's split decision came after a short search - less than a month, from the time the School Board advertised the position to the deadline for application - that was limited to candidates from inside the school system.
The search produced three applicants - Nichols, Oscar Smith High School Principal Glenn L. Koonce and a third candidate whose name was not revealed. Sources have said the third candidate was a male teacher who holds a doctorate, has worked in Chesapeake for a year and has served as an administrator in at least one other school district.
After seven hours of closed-door interviews Wednesday night, during which the candidates were ushered into the board's chamber through back doors, four board members moved to go national to recruit a superintendent. But five voted to kill that idea.
Two board members who had favored broadening the search then went with the majority in voting to enter into contract negotiations with Nichols.
``He met all the criteria - more than met the criteria - and will continue stability in the school system,'' said board member Thomas Bray, who voted against expanding the search and in favor of appointing Nichols.
Board member Mary Korving, who voted to broaden the search and against naming Nichols, said she did not doubt his credentials.
``I just feel that it was a tough decision to pick a person out of a group of three,'' she said. ``I think he does a great job. And I'm not saying that he's not the ultimate best choice. I just felt I needed a broader range.''
The board has been criticized by some residents and City Council members for its decision to give insiders the first opportunity to seek the job.
But board members have defended the process, saying that those who have dedicated their careers to Chesapeake schools deserve first consideration.
Also, Bateman was a popular superintendent with a well-liked leadership style characterized by slow, deliberate decision-making with a tendency against radical change.
Board members said they wanted continuity and stability.
According to Nichols, they'll get what they want.
Nichols, a native of Hertford County, N.C., has spent the past 36 years living in Chesapeake and working in city schools. He plans to retire from the school system in five to eight years.
Nichols' seven goals follow the direction Bateman and his leadership team have set. Nichols said that does not mean he will maintain the status quo.
``Stability and sameness are not the same,'' he said. ``We're going to have stability. We're going to have stability in terms of staffing, we're going to have stability in terms of the basic philosophy, and that is planning everything carefully and not trying to do anything too quickly.
``But there's not going to be sameness. There are going to be some things that are going to be looked at more thoroughly than are being looked at now. I think of it in terms of taking things to a higher level.''
Nichols said he would focus on initiatives to improve school safety, including more alternative programs for children with behavior problems; rigorous educational standards, particularly for average students who are neither academically gifted nor at risk of failing; further use of technology in schools; more training for teachers and other staff members; increasing community involvement in schools; managing school-building projects to handle growth in enrollment, which continues to overwhelm the city; and finding ways to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of school programs.
Nichols said he planned to convene a series of task forces, which would include staff and community members, to help develop a strategic plan for achieving those goals.
``I want to get the best minds we possibly can get, and let them look at what I've put together and to help me put it in perspective and make sure we're in the right direction,'' he said. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
Color photo
WILLIAM R. NICHOLS
Age: 57
Current title: Deputy superintendent
Native of: Hertford County, N.C.
Background: Has spent the past 36 years living in Chesapeake and
working in city schools.
by CNB