THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 17, 1995 TAG: 9512150005
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J4 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
As a Virginia Beach resident and one who is married in my mid-twenties, I feel that I should pay close attention to our present school system. After all, I will be one of the future parents in several Virginia Beach Public Schools. For this reason I am very interested in whom our new superintendent will be and in how our system will be operated when it comes to finances and management techniques.
Virginia Beach Public Schools would be out of business if it were a private concern. Also, its leaders would have been indicted. I am appalled that Dr. James L. Pughsley, now interim superintendent, is being given any consideration as superintendent, much less that he is one of the three finalsits for superintendent of Virginia Beach Public Schools. He knew of the budget problems and was privy to the initial audit. He kept quiet about these as reported in your newsaper. Does the School Board not include in its policy manual that a school emplolyee should not follow directives they know to be illegal? Can we trust Dr. Pughsley and his influences to redirect our schools?
We need a new perspective. We need a superintendent who will not bring politics with him to Virginia Beach and will not make subordinates fearful of losing their jobs. My hope is that our poor track record will not deter us from finding a good superintendent.
As for our present management techniques, let's hope that a new leader will abandon ``site-based management'' because of the tyranny it has caused employees and the dissatisfaction it has caused parents. What Virginia Beach Public Schools desperately needs is uniformity. Site-based management only added to our present dilemma with schools going separate ways.
It is time to clean house in VBPS administration. It is time to count those pennies. It is time to give parents and students back a voice. It is time to remember that the reason for our all working together here is ``that we are trying to educate our children.''
TRACHY A. HOGAN
Virginia Beach, Dec. 8, 1995 by CNB