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

DATE: SUNDAY, October 24, 1993                   TAG: 9310220147
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-6   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: ROBERT FREIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

DESIRE FOR VOICE IN SCHOOLS LED MOTHER TO ORGANIZE DRIVE

"If it doesn't pass, I won't fool with it again," she said of the elected school board referendum.

Even if the measure is approved - and Montgomery County School Board Chairman Roy Vickers estimates the chance of that at 100 percent - Linkous says she has no interest in politics.

A housewife and the mother of four, Linkous distrusts organized political groups of any kind.

"I am totally out by myself," she said. "All I'm after is for everyone to have a voice about what goes on in this county."

Likewise, she said the grass-roots organization that circulated petitions favoring elected school boards had no hidden agenda beyond wanting to change the system.

Those who believe the elected school board campaign is a dress rehearsal power play by the county's religious fundamentalists are mistaken, she says.

Linkous describes herself as politically conservative and a Christian. But she says she's not a member of the county's Christian Coalition and is as wary of that organization as she is of any special-interest group.

Only by coincidence did the petition drive begin this year during a controversy over non-religious names for school holidays, she said.

Linkous was among county residents upset by the School Board's decision reaffirming the use of "Winter Break" and "Spring Break" instead of Christmas and Easter.

And the pro-elected school board movement clearly profited by the dissatisfaction created by that controversy, she said. "We used the anger."

On the other hand, the religious issue is "a fire starter" that could cause a backlash against the referendum, she said.

For Linkous, the essential issue in the elected/appointed school board debate transcends religious holidays or any other policy question. "It's all about power," she said.

Linkous said she and other county residents believe county schools are controlled by a small, powerful, unresponsive group.

"They can do anything they want, and there's nothing you can do. People say, `I have my children in the schools, and they can teach them anything they want.' Nobody listens to the parents."

Linkous describes those frustrated by the current system and the present School Board as "Everyday people, people who live in the boonies. At Shawsville, McCoy, Riner. The longtime residents of the county."

Those in control of the county school system are disproportionately from a white-collar, transient community of thought she identifies with Blacksburg. "These are the ones who have a say."

The present School Board has been in office too long and contains too many members who do not have children in county schools, she said. Also, a disproportionate amount of the school budget is spent on administration rather than on instruction, she said.

Linkous is a native of Montgomery County who grew up outside the county and returned as an adult.

Attending school as a newcomer in other communities showed her what it's like to be an outsider. It also taught her tolerance of other groups and distrust of insiders, she said.

Having a school-aged son who uses a wheelchair has also illustrated the importance of communication with school administrators, she said.

These experiences only reinforce her dissatisfaction with county schools.

"I want to know they're listening to me," she said.

Local policy decisions by the present School Board and administration are out of control because "we let it happen," she said.

"It's the responsibility of all of us to get more involved. You have to make time for it. You have to contact your representatives. You need to read the newspapers, to be informed."

Linkous is a member of the PTA at several county schools and has worked as a coordinator of volunteers for activities there.

"I'm good at calling people and aggravating them," she said. "Once I've got your phone number, I've got you."

She organized the referendum petition drive by establishing a network of advocates. They stood at street corners or in front of stores collecting enough signatures to qualify.

"I've learned a lot about how you go about getting things changed. It's not as hard as people think," she said.

"The main ingredient is persistence. You've got to believe in what you're doing and be willing to fight for it."

"`I just don't want anybody to speak for me. I'll speak for myself, thank you."