Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 1, 1990 TAG: 9005010260
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MARGARET CAMLIN NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
The petitions ask the board to reverse its April 3 decision to change Weiss' contract from 11 to 10 months.
Weiss says Superintendent Harold Dodge told her she would be reassigned to the classroom as an English teacher - a position she has not held for 25 years.
Weiss is completing her doctorate in education at Virginia Tech, with a specialization in counseling and family therapy.
Three separate petitions saying essentially the same thing have been circulating in the Shawsville community over the past couple of weeks, according to Selena St. Clair, a high school senior.
One was for parents to sign, and the others were for students and teachers, she said. St. Clair said she started the petition drive for students and teachers because Weiss is "more than just a guidance counselor - she's a friend."
"She knows what she's doing as a counselor. I don't think she needs to go into the classroom."
St. Clair said she and other students collected 110 signatures from students and 12 from teachers, some of whom were afraid to put their names down.
One copy of a petition was at the Elliston Food Mart's checkout counter last week with 27 signatures. "She has helped more kids out in this area than all the moms and dads around. My daughter thinks the world of her," said store owner David McDaniel.
McDaniel said about 100 customers had signed other copies of the petition.
St. Clair said she and other students collected signatures for only a day about two weeks ago. "We were afraid to let it go too long because of the principals," she said.
One man who helped organize the petition for parents to sign said his daughter has benefited quite a bit from Weiss' counseling. Weiss was "very effective, very competent and very thorough," he said. He did not want his name published.
The high school's PTA is not taking a position, but according to co-president Joyce Spangler, "most people down here are pretty upset about it."
Lila Lorton, a guidance counselor at Christiansburg High School, has also signed up to speak at the board meeting. Lorton did not want to comment on her reasons.
Weiss contends she is being penalized by Dodge for publicly opposing the 2.0 grade-point-average policy last year - a policy he favored.
Dodge has said there is no relationship between the decision to change her contract and Weiss' opposition to the policy.
St. Clair said she and several parents, including Alex Weiss, Fran Weiss' husband, passed out fliers at the high school Friday afternoon urging people to come to the meeting and show support for Weiss.
Board Chairwoman Virginia Kennedy said she did not want to comment on the board's vote to change Weiss' contract. "I don't think that's appropriate at all," she said.
Kennedy said it would not be customary for the board to reverse its action on a personnel matter.
She said she did not know about a petition drive in support of Weiss, but she had received some letters from people in the community.
The matter is not on the meeting agenda, she said, and she does not anticipate it being discussed in executive session.
Revealing what would be discussed in executive session about personnel would be "very bad manners," she said.
by CNB