THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 29, 1996 TAG: 9601290075
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines
He's a compact ex-Marine, a one-time high school history teacher and a Republican state legislator who has won favor with the Democratic-leaning Virginia Education Association, which represents most of the commonwealth's 75,000 teachers.
For all the fanfare surrounding the unprecedented power-sharing agreement between Democrats and Republicans in the state Senate, GOP Sen. Warren E. Barry has assumed chairmanship of the influential Education and Health Committee with barely a murmur on the political Richter scale.
Barry, 62, a Fairfax County businessman who took over the chairmanship this month, was among five Republicans to gain committee leadership positions for the first time this century in the 40-member Senate, split 20-20 between parties.
``I think he's a very reasonable man,'' VEA president Robley Jones said Friday. ``We were not alarmed in any way.''
Sen. Stanley Walker, D-Norfolk, who could have had the job but chose instead to co-chair the Finance Committee, said: ``I think he has the right temperament. He seems to have the ability to grasp the problem of a school district no matter where they are.''
So far, there's been little change in business, no evidence that the Senate shift has given any legislative edge to conservative GOP Gov. George F. Allen.
``I've got moderate views, rather than extreme or overly conservative views,'' Barry said Friday after the Senate broke for the weekend. ``They felt I wasn't going to take it in the wrong direction.''
For example, Barry fails the conservative litmus test when it comes to sex education and guidance counseling in the schools: He doesn't think parental permission should be mandated. The Allen administration does.
``To me it's an administrative nightmare,'' Barry said. ``I think the kids who stand to benefit the most would be the ones to lose out.''
Political battle lines, however, are forming over two key education issues: Allen's push for experimental charter schools and a $23.2 million proposal to develop statewide tests to measure the progress of students against tough new academic standards.
Barry, who served 14 years in the House and is in his second Senate term, said he supports both items. But he said a compromise is likely on the testing proposal to reduce the expense, delay the start of testing and scale back the number of grades tested. Allen wants to test grades three, five, seven, nine and 11 beginning in spring 1997. Educators are lobbying to test only grades four, seven and 10 - a savings of $8 million - and to delay the assessments until at least 1999.
Barry described Allen's call for charter schools as ``innocuous.'' Charter schools, in place in 19 states, let parents, teachers and other groups or individuals apply for a ``charter'' to operate a school with specific goals. Supporters tout them as a way to promote school choice and try innovative ideas free of many state regulations.
Under a bill introduced in the House, local school boards would have final say over whether to approve the schools, and each district would be limited to two.
``We're doing more in Fairfax County with magnet schools than this would provide for charter schools, and it's within the realm of the public school system,'' Barry said. Magnet schools focus on particular subjects, such as science, math or the performing arts.
Barry, who also gained a seat on the Finance Committee, said he is satisfied with the amount of new money contained in Allen's budget for public schools - an increase of more than $600 million.
``We're finding that just pouring more dollars into education every year is not the answer to providing a higher quality student,'' Barry said.
In higher education, Barry said legislators likely will provide ``some additional money'' for professors' salaries and technology that goes beyond the $105 million in new funds contained in Allen's budget.
College presidents, in an unprecedented show of unity, have formed a powerful lobby working in tandem with the state's business community, Barry said.
Barry said he believes their lobbying effort is intended to ``create a mind-set'' among legislators that will make a tax increase acceptable. But that is unlikely to happen during Allen's tenure, Barry said. He predicted it will be a major issue in the 1997 governor's election.
While Barry will call the shots on his committee, Democrats have the numbers to utter the final word: They hold eight of the 15 seats. And in the House, Democrats maintain a 52-47 advantage over Republicans.
``He can't guarantee anything under those circumstances,'' said Sen. Frederick M. Quayle, R-Chesapeake, serving for the first time on the Education and Health Committee. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
BILL TIERNAN
The Virginian-Pilot
Sen. Warren E. Barry took over this month as chairman of the
influential Education and Health Committee.
KEYWORDS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY EDUCATION by CNB