Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, May 24, 1990                   TAG: 9005240471
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-1   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN NEW RIVER BUREAU
DATELINE: PEARISBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

THREE SEEK GILES SEAT/ VIEWS ON MERGER DRAW CROWD

Some attending the public hearing said the central issue to the appointment was which side of the consolidation issue each candidate was on.

After vocal opposition from parents and students, the School Board voted in June 1989 to delay a decision on whether to consolidate Giles and Narrows high schools until after a 1991-92 state school census and after an administrative review.

The three seeking the Central District School Board seat are Kerry Gillispie, an eight-year veteran of the board; Bruce Hedrick Jr.; and Richard Weiss. The Board of Supervisors interviewed the candidates in executive session this month and will make an appointment at its June 5 meeting.

Gillispie has said he would try to stay open-minded on consolidation, but "we've got to put the children first and I think that's been overlooked." Hedrick said he favors consolidation "if it improves the school system we've got."

Of eight speakers, four supported Hedrick, three spoke for Gillispie and one for Weiss. Applause after each speaker's remarks indicated an apparent split between Gillispie and Hedrick supporters.

The audience filled all the standing pews in the small meeting room on the bottom floor of the county administration building. A handful of residents stood in the rear of the room throughout the meeting. Also in the rear, one audience member was videotaping the hearing.

Those speaking for Gillispie said the county needed his experience on the School Board and his familiarity with the county as a lifelong resident. They worried that if Gillispie was turned out, the voice of experience on the board would be down to one member - Chairman J.B. Buckland, who has served for 11 years.

They are concerned that Gillispie will lose his seat just as two previous incumbents have in the past two years in 3-2 votes.

Hedrick's supporters called attention to his commitment to education, his management experience and the need for a fresh perspective on the board. He is a graduate of West Point and holds two other degrees.

John Riley, a lifelong resident of Narrows, said Gillispie - like Hedrick - had commitment to education and, as operator of Gillispie Realty, had experience in the business world. But he said that as a lifelong resident, Gillispie brings to the School Board knowledge of the school system's geographical areas and a commitment to the county. He questioned whether Hedrick would stay for a four-year term if offered a promotion within Hoescht-Celanese. He said he was bothered to see the county pulled apart over the appointment and the issue of school consolidation.

"Consolidation to me does not necessarily mean that is the best way to educate our children," he said.

Besides wrestling with possible consolidation of the two high schools, the county also faces a mandated middle school curriculum in the future.

Weiss, program head of the police science department at Wytheville Community College, would offer a commitment to education and would be objective and open "to hearing what the public has to say about the school system," Ripplemead resident Lewis Plummer told the supervisors.