THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 17, 1995 TAG: 9505170255
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Long : 124 lines
Schools Superintendent Sidney L. Faucette tendered his resignation Tuesday to accept a job as head of the school system in Gwinnett County, Ga.
His departure will leave the 76,000-student Beach district leaderless for the fourth time in six years.
Faucette, who as late as last week said he had no intention of leaving Virginia Beach, on Tuesday declined to discuss his reasons for leaving or his plans when he gets to Georgia.
But Gwinnett County school official have been confident for the past week that Faucette was coming.
His resignation will become effective July 3, four years and two days after he took the reins at the Beach. He is due to start in Gwinnett around July 10, a spokeswoman there said.
Faucette said the terms of his contract have yet to be negotiated.
He said he wishes the Beach school system well as it embarks on a search for a new superintendent.
``I hope it has successes that far exceed anything I provided leadership for,'' he said.
School Board members, although aware for almost a week that Faucette had been offered the Georgia job, appeared stunned Tuesday. There was no discussion at the board meeting about Faucette's impending departure or about finding a replacement.
Board Chairwoman June T. Kernutt offered a short written statement: ``Dr. Faucette's leaving is a great loss to our school system. I wish him only the best in whatever path he chooses and I am sure that he will be successful.
``I feel that our school system has grown so much under his leadership. . . has begun here in Virginia Beach and take us to the next level.''
The choice of a new leader will be a critical one for the board, because in many ways superintendents set the tone and determine the educational direction for school divisions.
Some board members have mentioned the likelihood of a national search for qualified candidates, although no details have been discussed yet. Two other Hampton Roads school districts, Chesapeake and Suffolk, also will lose their superintendents this summer.
The Beach board likely will search for someone who is as committed as Faucette to shared decision-making, giving teachers and parents a say in how schools are run.
Kernutt said the board probably will appoint an interim superintendent.
``I would imagine that we'd have to,'' she said.
Faucette's departure follows a rough year for the school system.
Efforts to relieve crowding in schools wedged Faucette and the board between parents who opposed attendance zone changes and a City Council anxious to cut spending for school construction.
Questions about Faucette's spending priorities and money management contributed to a bitter battle this spring between the board and council over the school system's budget for next year.
Relations also have been tense between Faucette and at least one School Board member, Ulysses Van Spiva. Faucette had said last week that he could be convinced to stay in Virginia Beach if, among other things, he had the backing of the entire board.
Monday, Spiva suggested Faucette should take the Georgia job.
The two exchanged harsh words Tuesday over whether Faucette's policies have hurt school custodians.
``The absolutely constant allegation you make that I'm doing something on the backs of custodians is an absolute insult to me personally,'' Faucette said.
``But it's true,'' Spiva said.
Vickie J. Hendley, president of the Virginia Beach Education Association, said Faucette has made a strong contribution to city schools.
Faucette took over after the School Board fired Superintendent E. Carlton Bowyer. Bowyer had been on the job only 15 months. Morale was extremely low among parents and teachers, who bitterly opposed curriculum changes Bowyer instituted.
Faucette immediately set about giving parents and teachers more input, most notably through shared decision-making.
He gave the school system stability, Hendley said.
But Hendley said she hoped the public would begin turning its attention toward finding a replacement for Faucette.
``I think his time has passed,'' she said.
``This could be an opportunity for change, for moving our school system forward.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
BETH BERGMAN/Staff
Last week, Sidney L. Faucette said he had no intention of leaving
Virginia Beach. His resignation leaves the school system without a
leader for the fourth time in six years.
Graphic
FAUCETTE'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Sharing power - One of Faucette's biggest changes was shared
decision-making, which gave parents and teachers more say in school
decisions. All city schools now have faculty councils and planning
councils, made up of parents, teachers and administrators, which
draft annual plans for improving student performance. Schools now
rely much less on central office administrators to tell them what to
do.
Cutting staff - Faucette eliminated more than 110 central office
administrative positions in 1992 and 1993 to demonstrate his
commitment to focusing resources on schools. The move gained him
points with teachers and City Council members, but some
administrators still hold a grudge. Faucette has since increased
administrative staff and restored his top leadership team almost to
former levels. When he arrived in 1991, the district had five
assistant superintendents and a deputy superintendent. Faucette now
has a deputy, two assistant superintendents, a chief operations
officer and a chief financial officer.
Budgeting money - The school district began the 1994-95 fiscal
year short millions of dollars. Faucette's account of how much the
district was behind has varied. Initially, he said it was nearly
$2.9 million; he later said $7.4 million. Recently, he acknowledged
the shortage was about $12.4 million. Faucette has frozen most
hiring and spending to put the budget in the black by June.
Helping low-achievers - One of Faucette's biggest success stories
has been the Literacy Center, a program to help youngsters who have
failed the state's sixth-grade Literacy Passport Test. Students in
the program have posted high pass rates in subsequent tries.
by CNB