THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 21, 1996 TAG: 9606200194
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 69 lines
The citizens of Virginia Beach owe a great deal to Bob Humphreys and the grand jury for rescuing our school system in a time of great need during the recent financial fiasco. As a teacher of 31 years in our school system, I can tell you that all students and employees have suffered a great deal during the past two years.
In addition, the lack of a fiscally sound school system threatened to affect the financial position of our city and business interests within the city. No one seemed to feel there was anything that could be done other than having a recall of our School Board.
I am so thankful the grand jury (composed of citizens of our city) and Bob Humphreys, our commonwealth's attorney, were able to assist us in putting our school system back on track. I was quite concerned when I read the May 12 editorial in The Virginian-Pilot (``Piling on the charges'') indicating that Bob Humphreys was being overzealous. Bob Humphreys is simply carrying out the wishes of the grand jury, the citizens' committee which was asked to determine the facts in the reason for the school system deficit.
The members of our School Board during the past year were evidently led by blind faith in our previous superintendent. However, that is why we have the checks and balances in government. If a school board is simply going to ``rubber stamp'' the superintendent's actions, we have no need for a school board.
I personally called the School Board chairman, June Kernutt, in May 1995, when the newspaper indicated Faucette had applied for the position in Georgia. I indicated at this time that it was in the best interest of Virginia Beach City Public Schools to let him go but that it was very important that an external audit be done before he left as we were having major financial problems at the time. Ms. Kernutt indicated ``she had more information than I did and that the situation was not what it appeared in the paper.''
I am sure the former School Board members were all people who care deeply about the education of our young people. I know they also devoted many hours to our school system in an effort to make it better. For that, I am indeed thankful. I can understand their hurt upon reading the grand jury's report. However, I would also like to let them know that every person in Virginia Beach City Public Schools - the students, the office staff, the secretaries, the teachers, the custodians, the administrators - all of us suffered tremendously during the past two years and morale has been at an all-time low.
I salute the members of the School Board who did step down as asked by the grand jury. You have shown that you truly care and that you do indeed want to help. I know that Tim Jackson and Ferdinand Tolentino are wanting to clear their names. However, I urge them to consider what their staying continues to do to our school system. I genuinely feel it was a ``conflict of interest'' for the board members to vote to give themselves $25,000 per member for legal fees. All other councils and boards have been told that one does not vote on matters in which he/she will benefit financially from that vote. So how is it otherwise with these two gentlemen?
The $50,000 that would be spent on their legal fees could go, for example, to provide a new computer lab in one of our schools. As a business teacher, let me assure you that it hurts when you are trying to teach a Word Processing class and only half of your computers can be used because the other computers are ``down'' and cannot be fixed because there are not enough computer technicians or they do not have the parts you need.
I am thankful for the board members who are willing to give their time to serve on behalf of our city and the students of Virginia Beach City Public Schools. We are starting over with a new School Board this time, and, as a teacher in our school system, I urge the new board members to get to know the inner workings of the school system.
Carole J. Widner
Business Teacher
Salem High School
May 13 by CNB