THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 23, 1996 TAG: 9606230044
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALETA PAYNE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 73 lines
The three assistant superintendents just appointed in the school division include two longtime educators and a former corporate vice president with years of experience in human relations but no college degree.
The board unanimously approved the recommendations of Superintendent Timothy R. Jenney early Wednesday. They are:
Sheila Magula to assistant superintendent for elementary education.
Bernard Morgan to assistant superintendent for high school education.
Patricia Magee to assistant superintendent for human resources.
Magula, who holds degrees from Radford, Old Dominion and George Washington universities, now serves as the district's coordinator for middle school education and spearheaded the school system's transition from junior high to middle schools. She has worked in various teaching and administrative posts in the Beach since 1972.
Morgan, now principal at Tallwood High School, holds degrees from Norfolk State University and the University of Virginia.
A former Chesapeake teacher, Morgan has served as principal at five Beach schools from elementary through high school grades. His career with the city's schools began in 1969.
Magee served as vice president for corporate administration for 17 years with a natural gas pipeline company and was director of human resources for two years with an aerospace manufacturer, both in Oklahoma.
She worked for Jenney in the Union Public Schools in Tulsa as his assistant for human resources, her first experience working in the education field. Magee said she has worked as a consultant since leaving the school system in 1994.
Her appointment is the most unusual of the three. Senior administrators in school districts almost always have advanced college degrees, and the culture surrounding the education profession puts great emphasis on such measures of accomplishment.
Leaders in other school divisions in the state expressed surprise at the appointment.
There is no requirement, however, that an assistant superintendent in Virginia be a college graduate.
By phone from her home in Oklahoma, Magee said she has taken college classes ``off and on for the last 17 years.''
Her lack of a degree has not hampered her in working with educators, Magee said.
``I've done what I've done for many, many years, and I'm good at it,'' she said. ``I think I have certainly gotten my degree through my work experience.''
Jenney, who joined the division in February, said he had no concerns about drawing her into the assistant superintendent's job.
``It worked before when she was in that area and it will again,'' he said.
While board members said there were initially some questions about the matter, Jenney made an argument for Magee's experience and bringing in a fresh perspective.
Board member Daniel J. Arris said, ``I kind of like the idea of a new person coming into that position.''
Board member Delceno C. Miles said that the board must monitor the superintendent while he builds his leadership team, but that it should not micromanage. Magee's competence as well as having another woman in the top leadership carried considerable weight for her, Miles said.
And board member Tim Jackson said he supported Magee's appointment because of the superintendent's confidence in her.
``I hold the superintendent responsible for his leadership team,'' Jackson said. ``If he feels, based on his experience, that someone can handle the job, that's fine. If something goes wrong in the future, however, I'll hold him accountable.''
Two upper-level posts remain unfilled in Jenney's reorganization: an assistant superintendent for middle school education and an assistant superintendent for media and communications.
Both jobs could be filled next month, Jenney said.
KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA BEACH SCHOOL BOARD by CNB