THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, April 9, 1996 TAG: 9604090292
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALETA PAYNE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Long : 116 lines
Three appointees will join the School Board beginning as early as this month as far-reaching changes continue in the division's leadership.
The judges of the Virginia Beach Circuit Court announced Monday that Robert F. Hagans Jr. will replace Elsie M. Barnes in the Bayside borough seat; Daniel J. Arris will replace Ulysses Van Spiva in an at-large seat; and Paul J. Lanteigne will replace chairwoman June T. Kernutt when she leaves the Pungo borough seat in May. The appointments are effective until the 1998 election.
``We're very pleased and we think we've picked some very deserving people who will do a very good job,'' said Jerome B. Friedman, chief circuit judge. He said the selections were unanimous.
Up to 10 members, including these appointees, could join the board by July 1 when those elected from the 47 candidates running for seven other seats take their posts.
Hagans was sworn in Monday afternoon and Arris is expected to be sworn in today. Lanteigne will be sworn in next month.
I consider it an honor to serve,'' said Hagans, an attorney in Norfolk and father of three.
Hagans will resign from the Virginia Beach Community Services Board, which he chaired in 1994 and 1995, to devote time to the School Board. He is a graduate of Bayside High School and comes from a family of educators - beginning with his great-grandmother, who founded a school after the Civil War, and continuing through his mother, who taught in Norfolk.
``They believed in education,'' he said. ``I believe in education.''
His oldest daughter is a fifth-grader at Bayside Elementary School; he has a 6-year-old daughter in private kindergarten and a 4-year-old son.
Arris is a former member and chairman of the Planning Commission and an unsuccessful candidate for City Council two years ago. He has chaired the city's Neptune Festival and United Way Campaign.
Arris, an insurance executive, said he was pleased with the education his four children received in the city's public schools and believes ``restoring confidence in the School Board'' is a priority. He said the new board members have much to learn, but he considers the other appointees to be strong choices.
``I've always been involved in the community,'' he said. ``The people in this city like the school system. They like the product it turns out.''
Lanteigne, the city's chief deputy sheriff, is a former City Council member. He nominated Kernutt to her first term on the School Board.
He has three children in the school district from elementary through high school and said he looks forward to working with the new board and superintendent to put the recent crisis behind them. Lanteigne favors the proposed consolidation of some city and district financial services, a move he championed while on the council. And, he hopes to pursue a program that rewards school employees with a percentage of money that they're able to save the district.
``If everything was going smoothly, I probably wouldn't consider going on the School Board,'' he said. ``I've always like a challenge, and I think this fits the bill.''
The men join the board at a time of tremendous change. Superintendent Timothy R. Jenney joined the division in late February, just days before a scathing special grand jury report called for seven of the School Board members to resign or face malfeasance charges.
Five board members have resigned and three of those have already left the board although all have denied any malfeasance. It was the judges' responsibility to replace the three members who were elected - Barnes, Spiva and Kernutt. The appointees will serve out the two years remaining on those terms, Friedman said.
The City Council, meanwhile, appointed Delceno C. Miles last month to the Blackwater seat left vacant by Susan L. Creamer, who resigned before the report's release.
The council is expected to make three more appointments at today's meeting:
Fred G. Benham, to an at-large seat that will become vacant in May when Joseph D. Taylor leaves the board.
Thomas E. Fraim, to the Princess Anne seat left vacant by the resignation of Robert W. Hall before the grand jury report's release.
R.L. Riggs, to the Beach borough seat left vacant by the resignation of D. Linn Felt.
The council appointees will serve, however, only until June 30 because those seats are up for election next month. Miles is unopposed in her bid for the Blackwater seat.
The only incumbent running for the School Board is Donald F. Bennis. Bennis is vying for a two-year at-large seat against 14 other candidates. He was appointed a year ago. Tim Jackson, who was elected to the Kempsville borough seat in 1994, refused to resign, saying he wanted to clear his name. He was indicted earlier this month on misdemeanor malfeasance charges. If convicted, Jackson would not automatically lose his seat on the board and his appeals could extend through the two years he has remaining in his term.
Ferdinand V. Tolentino also refused to resign but will leave the board at the end of this term because his seat is up for re-election and he did not file to run.
Should Bennis be re-elected, it would leave the School Board as of July 1 with a total of three years' experience. Jackson would be the board's senior member, having served two years.
Arris said: ``This is a big task. There's an awful lot to learn. You'll essentially have 11 rookies.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Hagans, an attorney in Norfolk, will resign from the Virginia
Beach Community Services Board to devote time to the School Board.
He is the father of three school-age children.
Arris is a former member and chairman of the Planning Commission.
He has four children who attended Beach schools. He is an insurance
executive.
Lanteigne is the city's chief deputy sheriff and a former City
Council member. He has three children in the school district, from
elementary through high school.
KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA BEACH SCHOOL BOARD APPOINTMENT by CNB