THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 16, 1997 TAG: 9701160012
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: 48 lines
Disparity reigns in public education, and it's not just inner-city and rural school districts that are on the short end of the funding stick. It's also the state Department of Education in Richmond.
Time was when working in the state office meant reaching the pinnacle of achievement in educational administration for Virginia. No more.
When William C. Bosher left his post as state superintendent of education last summer to become head of Chesterfield County's school system, his pay increased by $16,000.
Now comes the news that Bosher has lured away three of the department's top professionals. They, too, will be earning more working for a suburban Richmond county than for the state.
Catherine Clark, deputy superintendent for policy and public affairs, will earn $77,000 as Bosher's new executive assistant. She earned $63,760 in her state job.
Kathryn Kitchen, deputy superintendent of finance, will earn $86,000 as Chesterfield's superintendent of business and finance. She made $85,172 working for the state.
And Lin Corbin-Howerton, former policy director at the state board, will be superintendent of accountability in Chesterfield. Her salary is rising from $68,299 to $71,398.
Many state government employees complain that they are performing more work and getting less respect as smaller government comes into vogue. Downsizing, accompanied by financial inducements to leave state government, means that some of the ablest state employees have gone elsewhere.
Too often the result for those who stay behind is a diminished sense of respect and a heavier workload. At the state Department of Education, for instance, the work force has been halved in recent years.
Virginia is not just a collection of localities. State government is the umbrella that links towns and cities and counties into an entity with a collective vision and purpose. Those who are trying to make sense of the whole have at least as tough a job as those who are dealing with the individual parts. State workers should be rewarded accordingly.
Virginia politicians have spent several years creating a leaner work force. Now they should invest some energy in reassuring those who remain that their contributions are valued and that there is nothing second-class about the decision to be a state employee. If they don't, the state could wind up being run by the second string.