THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, May 5, 1995                    TAG: 9505040167
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON    PAGE: 06   EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Editorial 
SOURCE: Beth Barber 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   49 lines

BOARD AND BUDGET

School Board members should fret less about $75 tuition for the summer-school band program and more about finding their place on the same sheet of music.

At Tuesday's meeting, they had several nasty, useless spats on several subjects (see the ``Bulletin Board'' on page 5), including the band fee. It was old business. And the board ducked what could have been new business, an underlying policy which, unlike the dollar amount of band fees, should be school boards' concern:

Do school officials overemphasize the at-risk student in a school population that's mostly at risk from dumbed-down curriculum, screwed-up budgets, competing agen-das and mud-dled priorities?

Sound harsh? It's no harsher than board members are with each other, and no harsh-er than they should be instead with the numbers, explanations and de-ci-sions that change with the prevailing winds in the boardroom.

Can school administration provide Tim Jackson and the rest of the Safe Schools Task Force requested survey information this spring or next fall? Yes. No. Maybe, if the questionnaire can be shortened enough - and if all involved can get on the same page as to the survey's purpose.

Did Dr. Faucette need immediate board action on his proposed budget reconciliation? No. Yes. If the board thinks so. Five members thought so. Five thought not. Mr. Jackson had the wit to abstain on a $4 million decision he'd been given no time to review.

And what, Board Chair June Kernutt asked Superintendent Faucette, are you looking for from us regarding further consolidation of city and school functions?

``Guidance,'' Dr. Faucette replied, as to proposals from the city that would cost the School Board some oversight responsibility.

Leadership, I'd reply, as to schools' priorities, performance and accountability - and it's missing from this dais. The chair may hold the gavel but the superintendent holds the baton. The result is cacophony, an assemblage that can't make music or face it.

Of all the major issues before it, on only one could board members agree: Neither city staff nor City Council should be vetting the school budget.

Sorry. Somebody has to. by CNB