THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 10, 1995 TAG: 9511100456
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WILLIAMSBURG LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
Even though the politicking ended with this week's election, Virginia school officials predicted Thursday that education will remain mired in partisan politics when the General Assembly convenes in January.
Democrats, who battled to a 20-20 draw in the Senate and a 52-47 edge in the House, still have the numbers to stifle Gov. George F. Allen's conservative agenda of school reform, which divided the legislature in the last session.
Democratic lawmakers sank Allen-backed bills on charter schools, mandatory academic standards and family life education, among others.
Those issues, and school funding for the next two years, are expected to be back on the table. There's sure to be some political bruises inflicted, said school officials attending a Virginia School Boards Association conference at the Williamsburg Lodge.
``I think we're going to have more of the same gridlock,'' said Robert V. Hall, a school board member in Henrico County.
``We may end up in a stalemate, which is the way we started last year,'' David Blount, the association's governmental relations officer, said of the Senate.
It's possible that Democrats, reacting to public concerns over school performance, will try to leave their imprint on some of the controversial proposals. For example, Democrat J. Paul Councill Jr. of Franklin, chairman of the House Education Committee, said he could support a bill for charter schools that limited their scope and gave local school boards control.
``If a local school division has a group of people with a proposal that they think will benefit the educational opportunities of young people, I'd be agreeable to let them do it on a trial basis,'' Councill said in an interview earlier in the week.
``I don't think it's going to go away, and I think sooner or later we're going to have to give it a try in Virginia,'' added Councill, who is chairing a joint legislative committee created by the legislature last session to study charter schools. About 20 states now have approved some version of charter schools.
Local school officials helped derail an Allen-backed bill that would have allowed private groups or individuals to set up the experimental charter schools and be exempt from most state rules. Many school officials - and skeptical Democratic leaders - viewed Allen's approach as a back-door attempt to set up elitist schools that would funnel money from regular schools.
It was clear Thursday that the issue remains divisive.
``It seems to me that charter schools would be a crucible for new ideas,'' said Frank Goodpasture III, a member of the Bristol City School Board.
Henrico's Hall said there was no need for them, arguing that local school systems that wanted to experiment could seek waivers from state regulations.
``If you're going to relax regulations for charter schools, you should relax them for the whole school system,'' Hall said.
More friction could arise from Allen's proposal to return the approximately $300 million in annual lottery profits to localities for use in law enforcement, schools or tax relief.
``That's useless,'' said William Hamilton, a school board member in Accomack County. ``You won't see it in the school system.''
On another funding issue, some school officials fear that the political support lining up for increased funding for higher education could come at the expense of public schools serving kindergarten through 12th grade.
``I fear it won't be new money, but it'll be taking money from us,'' Norfolk schools Superintendent Roy D. Nichols said.
A fight is expected again over family life education, or sex ed, that focuses over Allen's push to make it a local option and require parental permission for students to enroll in the course.
The Allen administration's push for mandatory academic standards, based on the newly adopted Standards of Learning, is another area up for debate. Allen proposes making the SOLs, which spell out what students should learn in each grade, mandatory and creating consequences for schools, teachers and students who fail to measure up.
Blount said everyone favors higher academic standards but making them mandatory would limit a school district's flexibility and be ``headed toward a state curriculum that I don't believe any of us want.'' by CNB