THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 21, 1996 TAG: 9604210049
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SERIES: DECISION 96
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WEEKSVILLE LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
Mark Small has waited until now to run for the School Board because he was worried about being away from his children.
He has four children in the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools, and he wants a say in how they and their peers are educated. But the longtime Weeksville farmer, whose family has tilled the earth for generations, wants to make sure he looks after his own first.
``I felt it was real important not to take away time from my family early on,'' Small says. ``I think my children are old enough now . . . or closer to the age, where it's not as important.
``I still have reservations about that.''
Small, like his opponent for the School Board's outside city seat, Mary Sharpe, believes parents must take an interest in their children for them to do well.
One of the biggest strains on the school system, he says, are families that don't support their children.
``We're getting now in public schools children coming from homes which don't have strong family values instilled in them,'' Small says. ``Schools can't be a substitute for families, but we have to work around that some way.
``We have to look hard at developing some kind of means of dealing with those students.''
Small says he supports local schools' efforts to bring parents back into the fold by inviting them to meet with teachers and discuss their children's future. Schools, he says, must ``let everybody know early on what our expectations are for behavior.''
Once expectations are known, schools can only go so far in helping some students, he says.
``If a child has shown through numerous instances that he is not interested in school, there's not much we can do,'' Small says. ``There should be limits on how far we're willing to go. At some point, children like that are creating a problem for those who want to learn.''
As a board member, Small says, he will push to support teachers, to focus on educational basics, and to make the district's new entrance requirements for three key grades successful.
``I think that teachers need a greater degree of satisfaction on the job,'' Small says. ``At all levels, before they get comfortable with one system, we're asking them to change and try to adopt something different.
``We just need to strongly consider whatever new programs we ask teachers to implement. Teachers are in the trenches. They are fundamental to what we hope to achieve. . . . It's in our interest to keep them satisfied and efficient.''
Small says he would also focus on improving technology education in the district, and getting students familiar with new research methods.
Overall, Small says, he doesn't have a significant agenda for change. He wants to help the board continue along the path it is on.
``I don't see much to fault with the schools. I really don't,'' he says. ``For the job they have to do, they're doing a good job.
``That certainly doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
F. ``MARK'' SMALL
Age: 42
Home: Weeksville
Occupation: Farmer
Education: Bachelor's degree in zoology from North Carolina State
University, 1976
Memberships: Newbegun Methodist Church
Family: Wife, Stacy, four children in Elizabeth City-Pasquotank
Public Schools
KEYWORDS: SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION CANDIDATE PROFILE by CNB