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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 20, 1993                   TAG: 9310200173
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

ELECTING BOARDS REJECTED

A report aimed at improving Montgomery County Schools recommends that elected schools boards not be considered until school boards are granted the power to tax.

"Having an elected school board without taxing authority is likely to lead to false promises and significant conflict between the School Board and the Board of Supervisors," said the final report of the Focus 2006 Strategic Planning Commission.

The School Board created the commission last year and charged it with developing an educational vision for the next 13 years.

The stance against elected school boards was just one of many recommendations included in a 14-page report presented to the board at a special meeting Tuesday night.

The report also stressed the need to limit all classes in the county to 20 students, minimize nonteaching duties of teachers and improve technology in the schools.

The School Board accepted the plan - put together by 222 people who volunteered 5,800 hours of time in the past 13 months - and scheduled a work session Nov. 6 to discuss its implementation.

"I'm just overwhelmed by the amount of work that went into this," said Roy Vickers, School Board chairman. "Staying within our means, we will do our best to follow these recommendations."

The stance against elected school boards was unveiled just two weeks before the county will vote on the issue. The first school board elections would be held in 1995 if the issue is approved Nov. 2.

Vickers said he agreed with the report's assertion that elected school boards without taxing power would strain relations with the Board of Supervisors.

Other recommendations from the Focus 2006 group included:

Establishing 24-hour access for information, homework and other school news.

Providing a compensation program that will attract top teachers. The county should strive to have a salary scale that compares to the top 25 percent in the state.

Placing a full-time guidance counselor at each elementary school and a minimum of two guidance counselors at middle and high schools.

Placing a specific emphasis on reducing problems caused by differences in socioeconomic status or geographic location in the county.

Providing child care for students, teachers and volunteer parents.

Establishing a Focus 2006 progress commission to report annually on the progress of the project.

by CNB