THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 8, 1996 TAG: 9603070177
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
Huge applause to The Virginian-Pilot for giving the Virginia Beach School Board story front page space. I am grateful you saw the need for such an important story to lead the day's news and help keep the citizens informed about local news events.
Gigantic applause goes to the special grand jury regarding the Virginia Beach School Board investigation. I appreciate its understanding of the need to ``rise to the occasion'' and take responsibility for its charge. The outcome of your investigation sends a wonderful and profound message to all citizens be they public servants being paid or volunteering their service to the city or all the rest of us just plain tax-paying folks.
Responsibility is more than just showing up for the job. Taking responsibility is not blaming someone else's personal agenda, lack of information of labeling yourself a ``naive victim.'' It is realizing you are naive, realizing you are being given incorrect information and being willing to take action to correct the situation, which at times may mean being responsible enough to step down from a job you are not capable of performing.
Cathy Sampson
Virginia Beach
Hats off to the special grand jury and the report they generated relative to the Virginia Beach School Board and other key players. I for one thought this would be another whitewash preceding the hiring of another consultant.
Now if we could just change the way we hire superintendents. Dr. Faucette is part of an elite band of carpetbaggers that travel nationally from school district to school district rarely staying long enough to learn the names of the schools. We have just brought in another one that will probably repeat the pattern in three years.
It also is hoped that the voters will look at the qualifications of the School Board hopefuls next go round and consider more than just having certain groups represented when they vote.
I realize that the prosecution of Faucette and the others would be purely symbolic but having this attached to their resumes would make a lot of us feel good. After all that has transpired, the citizens of Virginia Beach deserve to feel good. Their names can be placed on a plaque at the bottom of the $40,000 flagpole.
Dan Ogletree
Virginia Beach
I cannot believe the intent of our school system to cut back and/or eliminate funding for programs.
It is clear that the people responsible (whoever they may be) have no concern for the students. Instead of suffering the consequences of their mismanagement as they should be made to, they intend to cause students, teachers and school staff personnel to bear the burden of blatant spending abuse. How can this happen when we taxpayers have done our part?
Now our education system is in jeopardy because of the ignorant, appointed personnel of the School Board. As a community, we should demand that City Council enforce a system of reimbrusment by the ones responsible for our budget woes, not take from hard-working regular people like teachers.
Why, when we are so far in debt, do we continue to financially support personnel on leave with pay? Who is running the show?
If the School Board was a privately owned company, they would now be in bankruptcy court but thanks to us and the people who will have to work for free or lose hours they once had, they will be bailed out once again. Will the community just allow it to happen? I say make those responsible pay the penalty, not the ones who don't deserve punishment.
Ben DuBois
Virginia Beach by CNB