THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 24, 1996 TAG: 9605230174
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Education
LENGTH: 48 lines
The School Board announced last week its intent to renew Superintendent Richard D. Trumble's contract.
Board members Byron P. Kloeppel, a lawyer, and Lawrence W. I'Anson Jr., president of the Beazley Foundation, will represent the board in negotiations with Trumble. The board has not set a date to vote on the new contract.
Trumble received a 4.5 percent pay raise for the 1995-96 fiscal year, bringing his salary to $111,193.20. On average, district employees received a 2 percent raise for 1995-96.
Trumble, whose current contract expires next year, has been in Portsmouth for six years.
City Hall administrators recently said it could be at least another month before the city publicly announces what it plans to do about air-quality problems at Churchland High.
For the past several months, City Hall and school district staffers have studied a set of recommendations from Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern Inc. of Virginia Beach, the firm the council hired last May to study the school's air problems. All of the firm's recommendations have not been publicly disclosed.
Now the city is seeking a second opinion from another firm because some of Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern's recommendations could be both expensive and disruptive, city officials say. One recommendation, for example, reportedly calls for closing the entire school so all remaining repair work could be done at once.
Several Churchland teachers and students began to complain two years ago about polluted indoor air at the 4-year-old school. The company found that many of the problems stem from too little fresh air in the building and a lack of adequate humidity control.
Churchland may suffer from ``sick building syndrome,'' some teachers have warned. That condition can occur when a combination of faulty heating and inadequate air circulation leads to a buildup of moisture, mold and mildew. Mold and mildew have been blamed for some people's aggravated allergies and respiratory difficulties.
Inhaling mold or bacteria can cause watery eyes, a runny nose and other flu-like symptoms. Too little fresh air in a building also can raise carbon dioxide levels - causing headaches, fatigue and dizziness.
About a dozen other schools in the region have reported similar problems.
KEYWORDS: PORTSMOUTH SCHOOL BOARD SICK BUILDING by CNB