THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 5, 1996 TAG: 9605030011
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J4 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Long : 145 lines
When the grand jury handed down its scathing report on the Virginia Beach School Board earlier this year there were two possible scenarios for the coming elections: No one would run for School Board out of fear of public humiliation or concerned citizens would rally to the defense of the schools.
Fortunately for Virginia Beach, the latter came true. The result is a crowded Virginia Beach School Board ballot. Forty-five candidates are listed - although two pulled out last week. Five of the seven races are contested. In the Blackwater and Beach boroughs Delcino Miles and Arthur Thomas Tate are running unopposed.
The largest race with the most-impressive field is for two four-year at-large seats. The race is jammed with qualified candidates. We selected two standouts. Rosemary Capps Wilson and Neil Rose get the nod.
Wilson is a small-business owner and the mother of two public-school children. She's a graduate of Bayside High School and a former Virginia Beach teacher. Wilson has been an active school volunteer for many years and she's no stranger to School Board meetings. Wilson says she's attended so many board meetings over the years she's lost count.
Few other candidates in any of the races had attended even one School Board meeting.
Wilson is an impressive candidate who is prepared to step onto the board today. She has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the Virginia Beach schools and the workings of the board. We enthusiastically endorse Wilson for one of the two seats.
Attorney Neil Rose is our other choice in this race. He, too, is a successful graduate of Virginia Beach public schools and promises to be a steady, smart member of the board if elected. In addition to his legal background Rose has a degree in finance and a master's degree in taxation. His familiarity with fiscal matters will be valuable. Rose has three children in the school system.
The two-year at-large contest has 13 candidates. In this race we endorse Michael Nagelin, a mortgage banker with three children in school.
Nagelin is a Naval Academy graduate who has a master's degree in operations and management - again, skills that would be useful on the board.
Nagelin is a low-key candidate who promises to be outspoken in his desire to reduce the pupil-teacher ratios in the classroom. Large classes, especially in K through 3rd grade, are a problem at the Beach. We hope that if Nagelin is elected he will remain committed to reducing pupil-teacher ratios, especially in those all-important primary years.
In the Lynnhaven Borough race we support Nancy Dahlman Guy. Before her two children were born she was a commercial-litigation lawyer. Motherhood changed all that and Guy stopped practicing law to be an active school volunteer, a PTA board member and a Girl Scout leader.
If elected, Guy can be expected to be a strong, articulate voice on the board. She is a supporter of consolidating some school services with the city's - a money-saving move we support.
Guy is a tough, independent-minded candidate who promises to speak her mind and act as an advocate for children.
The least impressive field is the one for the Princess Anne Borough. Just two candidates remain in this race. If they were running in one of the at-large races, neither would be a finalist.
The best of the contenders is H.L.``Les'' Powell, a senior Virginia State Police officer with the safety division. Trooper Powell has two children in the public schools and has been a parent volunteer and assistant football coach at Kellam High School and Princess Anne Middle School.
Not surprisingly, Powell is mainly concerned about safety in the schools. He also expresses concern about standards of excellence. He will bring a plain-spoken parent's perspective to the board. During one candidate's forum Powell said he was distressed by an ``A'' paper his daughter brought home from school. When he reviewed her work, Powell said he discovered many spelling errors. His daughter said the teacher ``didn't take off for spelling.''
Powell pointed out that when he was a student, a paper filled with spelling errors would have been unacceptable. We agree with Powell that turning out literate students counts. We hope that if he's elected Powell will work toward improving basic skills in the schools.
When the grand jury handed down its scathing report on the Virginia Beach School Board earlier this year there were two possible scenarios for the coming elections: No one would run for School Board out of fear of public humiliation or concerned citizens would rally to the defense of the schools.
Fortunately for Virginia Beach, the latter came true. The result is a crowded Virginia Beach School Board ballot. Forty-five candidates are listed - although two pulled out last week. Five of the seven races are contested. In the Blackwater and Beach boroughs Delceno Miles and Arthur Thomas Tate are running unopposed.
The largest race with the most-impressive field is for two four-year at-large seats. The race is jammed with qualified candidates. We selected two standouts. Rosemary Wilson and Neil Rose get the nod.
Wilson is a small-business owner and the mother of two public-school children. She's a graduate of Bayside High School and a former Virginia Beach teacher. Wilson has been an active school volunteer for many years and she's no stranger to School Board meetings. Wilson says she's attended so many board meetings over the years she's lost count.
Few other candidates in any of the races had attended even one School Board meeting.
Wilson is an impressive candidate who is prepared to step onto the board today. She has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the Virginia Beach schools and the workings of the board. We enthusiastically endorse Wilson for one of the two seats.
Attorney Neil Rose is our other choice in this race. He, too, is a successful graduate of Virginia Beach public schools and promises to be a steady, smart member of the board if elected. In addition to his legal background Rose has a degree in finance and a master's degree in taxation. His familiarity with fiscal matters will be valuable. Rose has three children in the school system.
The two-year at-large contest has 13 candidates. In this race we endorse Michael Nagelin, a mortgage banker with three children in school.
Nagelin is a Naval Academy graduate who has a master's degree in operations and management - again, skills that would be useful on the board.
Nagelin is a low-key candidate who promises to be outspoken in his desire to reduce the pupil-teacher ratios in the classroom. Large classes, especially in K through 3rd grade, are a problem at the Beach. We hope that if Nagelin is elected he will remain committed to reducing pupil-teacher ratios, especially in those all-important primary years.
In the Lynnhaven Borough race we support Nancy Dahlman Guy. Before her two children were born she was a commercial-litigation lawyer. Motherhood changed all that and Guy stopped practicing law to be an active school volunteer, a PTA board member and a Girl Scout leader.
If elected, Guy can be expected to be a strong, articulate voice on the board. She is a supporter of consolidating some school services with the city's - a money-saving move we support.
Guy is a tough, independent-minded candidate who promises to speak her mind and act as an advocate for children.
The least impressive field is the one for the Princess Anne Borough. Just two candidates remain in this race. If they were running in one of the at-large races, neither would be a finalist.
The best of the contenders is H.L.``Les'' Powell, a senior Virginia State Police officer with the safety division. Trooper Powell has two children in the public schools and has been a parent volunteer and assistant football coach at Kellam High School and Princess Anne Middle School.
Not surprisingly, Powell is mainly concerned about safety in the schools. He also expresses concern about standards of excellence. He will bring a plain-spoken parent's perspective to the board. During one candidate's forum Powell said he was distressed by an ``A'' paper his daughter brought home from school. When he reviewed her work, Powell said he discovered many spelling errors. His daughter said the teacher ``didn't take off for spelling.''
Powell pointed out that when he was a student, a paper filled with spelling errors would have been unacceptable. We agree with Powell that turning out literate students counts. We hope that if he's elected Powell will work toward improving basic skills in the schools.
KEYWORDS: ELECTION VIRGINIA BEACH VIRGINIA BEACH SCHOOL BOARD RACE
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