THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 18, 1997 TAG: 9701180366
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: 35 lines
The school district felt, well, dissed when a November draft of the state Board of Education's status of public education report said Portsmouth hadn't met one of the ``standards of quality.''
It was the standard requiring ``planning and public involvement.''
And the district, which takes great pride in its long-range planning efforts, was just a wee bit peeved.
At Thursday's city School Board meeting, Superintendent Richard Trumble pointed out that everything had since been resolved: The district's in the clear.
In a December letter to Trumble, state schools chief Richard T. La Pointe explained a state slip up.
La Pointe also said he would approve a request Trumble previously made - and that essentially meant Portsmouth would get credit for meeting the planning standard.
Turns out the state Education Department had misplaced Trumble's May 1996 request asking the department to accept the district's five-year ``strategic plan'' instead of a six-year ``school improvement plan'' state law calls for.
Just a small glitch, a department spokeswoman said Friday.
The department had approved such requests in the past to give local boards some flexibility in meeting requirements.
The district's strategic plan, which is updated over time and involves both planning and public participation, was initially approved by the city School Board in February 1994.
Among other things, it spells out the district's mission and academic goals - details Trumble included in his written request.
KEYWORDS: PORTSMOUTH SCHOOLS