Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, April 20, 1993 TAG: 9304200200
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ROBERT FREIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: FLOYD LENGTH: Medium
It's the external influences of society that have changed and intensified - even in rural Floyd County.
"Our kids get exposed to the same type thing. A bit later, but it eventually gets here," he said.
Nonetheless, Ross, who is retiring as Floyd County's school superintendent June 30, says he's leaving his post believing his students are "better prepared to deal with it.
"The family atmosphere is still strong in Floyd," he said. "I'm proud of the students in our system, the way they conduct scholastic activities and their private lives."
Ross, 59, is being honored tonight by the Regional PTA council for his work in education, an occupational journey that began as a teacher, counselor and coach in his native Grayson County.
Since then, he has worked in Montgomery County as principal of Christiansburg High School, principal of Christiansburg Elementary School, football coach and athletic director of the high school, and, for the past 17 years, an administrator in Floyd.
Ross was assistant superintendent for 12 of those years and has been superintendent for the past five years.
He said he selected education as a profession after leaving active military service because "it was an opportunity to remain involved in athletics, and I enjoyed working with young people.
"I still like to work with young people. You don't get old. Some of their enthusiasm comes over to you."
What's different to Ross are the present-day challenges of guiding students through the maze of a changing economy.
"We're having to prepare students to enter a completely different type of work force. They're heading into a global economy with new demands, whereas 20 years ago you could almost consider it a local economy."
Then - as now - agriculture was Floyd County's primary industry, although its dominance has slipped.
Fewer students can graduate and get agricultural jobs, and those that do must have skills their fathers never had.
Even farmers have to know computers these days in order to operate increasingly sophisticated equipment, Ross said.
Advanced technology also has come to industrial education, as students must be better trained to compete, he said.
Floyd's dilemma - how to change without losing its rural identity - also is having a significant impact on the school system.
Young people are moving away, or at least commuting daily to work in surrounding counties that have employment opportunities Floyd lacks.
Meanwhile, the county's population of 12,000 is growing as retirees and suburbanites attracted by Floyd's low tax rate and scenic beauty move in.
Their demands for services are stressing the county's financial vitality. Most revenue comes from real estate taxes, and two-thirds of the county's budget goes to run county schools.
That's why Floyd schools are at a crossroads. Major expenditures are looming if the county is to upgrade its school facilities and pay its school employees better.
Three of the county's four elementary schools were built in 1939; the fourth is 40 years old. The county does not have a middle school.
The county's starting pay for teachers ranks last among Virginia school districts.
"No one likes to be last. I'm not proud of that," Ross said.
But, Ross says, "we've done more with less than any other school division in the state. That's attributable to the staff, not anything I've done."
Currently, the county is reviewing ways to "strike a balance" between financial strains, such as higher taxes or heavy debt, and enhancing schools, he said.
One of the potentially contentious issues involves renovating community schools or building new, larger, centrally located buildings. "We've got some different opinions about that here," he said.
Ross says he's not taking sides, but is advocating some kind of decision and action. "I've tried to be objective. All I'm saying is let's do something."
That course should be determined soon by county officials and Ross says it's a good time for him to step aside, allowing incoming superintendent Terry Arbogast to guide the changes.
After June 30, Ross and his wife, who teaches in Roanoke County, will have more time for other pursuits, such as running his family's cattle farm in Grayson County.
by CNB