Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 12, 1991 TAG: 9104120480
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: PEARISBURG LENGTH: Medium
Throughout an eight-hour visit with school, business and government officials, Dyke repeatedly was thanked for taking the time to come.
At a wrap-up dinner meeting with the School Board and the Board of Supervisors, signs adorned doors and rooms welcoming him, as did a cake shaped like an open book.
"I've never heard of anybody in your position being this far west," said Lawrence Larew, a teacher of agriculture and alternative education at Narrows High School.
Larew and other members of the Professional Advisory Council - made up of school administrators and teachers - met with Dyke for about an hour at Eastern Elementary School discussing concerns and talking about projects in the school system.
Occasionally, Dyke pulled pen and paper from his suit jacket to jot down a note. And when the group pointed out problems with completing a self-evaluation for accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Universities, he listened.
Dyke promised to share the concerns with state School Superintendent Joseph Spagnolo Jr. And he did - calling Spagnolo's office right after the meeting broke up, even though it meant making it to the next meeting a few minutes late.
Dyke's visit was prompted by an invitation from County Administrator Ken Weaver after the two met at a state conference.
Dyke started his visit with a noon luncheon at the Celanese plant in Narrows. The plant is involved in a business-education partnership with the county school system, aimed at preparing students to enter the work force after graduation. Such partnerships are at the top of Dyke's list as one way to improve opportunities for students who are not necessarily college-bound.
Superintendent Bob McCracken said the county was glad to have the opportunity to show Dyke and other state education officials "that Giles County has a lot to brag about as far as its programs."
McCracken also hopes the visit will help Dyke keep Giles in mind for pilot education programs.
In another matter, Dyke said the Board of Education is working toward resolving the funding disparity issue by reviewing standards of quality and other requirements to get a "better idea of a locality's ability to pay."
"We're just going to have to change the way we distribute money in the state," he said, adding that specific proposals will likely be ready before the 1992 General Assembly session.
by CNB