Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, July 25, 1994 TAG: 9407250100
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
It's a job that brings more criticism than praise. The pay is low, $4,000 a year, and the hours are long. Sometimes, the meetings run until 11 at night, a late hour for someone who gets up at 4:30 every morning.
Almost daily, there are calls to be taken, letters to write and meetings to attend.
So why does Frank Thomas keep doing it?
He has been chairman of the Roanoke County School Board for nine years and recently was re-elected unanimously for another one-year term. He has been on the board for 11 years.
He shows no sign of slowing down.
For Thomas, it's a labor of love. He doesn't count the time that he spends on school board business, but he estimates that it's probably more than 40 hours a month.
"I just want to make a contribution and give back some of what the county gave me," he said. "The county gave me a good education."
Thomas, 53, grew up on a farm in the county, attended county schools and graduated from Andrew Lewis High School in Salem, when it was part of the county school system. He went on to graduate from Virginia Tech.
After two years in the Army, he came back to the county to work for Thomas Brothers, a family-owned excavation business. He is now vice president of the company.
He is the third generation of Thomases to serve on the county School Board. His grandmother served on the board in the 1950s and 1960s. His uncle, Joe Thomas, was on the board in the 1970s.
Despite that connection, Frank Thomas didn't consider seeking a School Board seat until he was elected chairman of a west county citizens advisory committee on changes in the Glenvar Junior High and Glenvar High schools after Salem decided to leave the county school system in the early 1980s.
He also served on the School Board's citizens advisory committee on nonsalary items for two years before he was appointed to the board.
Thomas became more interested in schools when he and his wife, Shirley, served as co-presidents of the Glenvar High PTA while their two children were in school.
His daughter, Debra, 26, is a teacher in North Carolina. HIs son, Frank Jr., 21, is a senior at Virginia Tech.
Thomas is credited with keeping harmony on the board during a period of tight finances, several school construction projects and the search for a new superintendent, Deanna Gordon, to succeed Bayes Wilson.
"He has a good working relationship with the board. He has a good way of working with the board and makes everybody feel almost like a family," said Barbara "Bootie" Chewning, who has been on the board for 12 years.
"Frank loves the board, and he gives it his all. I've never felt that he was trying to railroad anything through."
Vice Chairman Maurice "Buck" Mitchell said Thomas has a "good feel for the issues," and he is willing to spend extra time to make sure things are done right.
Because of his business background and leadership skills, Thomas been a natural choice to remain chairman for so many years, Mitchell said.
Thomas is a strong advocate for the schools, and this is appropriate for the School Board chairman, said Harry Nickens, a member of the Board of Supervisors and former School Board member.
Thomas' business office is in Salem, which is convenient if he is needed at the school offices on College Avenue.
Thomas said he talks with top school officials almost daily, and he has to stop by their offices frequently.
It won't be as convenient, however, when the administrative offices are moved to the former Occupational School on Cove Road in the next few months. The school for special education students has been closed and is being renovated for school offices.
Thomas gets to his office by 5:30 every morning, so he can resolve any problems that might have risen in equipment or other areas before the employees go to work at 7. And, by getting to work so early, Thomas can find time during the work day to handle School Board business.
One of the challenges for the school system in the next few years will be finding enough money to keep its high quality, Thomas said.
Thomas said the General Assembly provided more money for schools for poor counties and cities, but little additional funds for suburban counties.
"We believe that the state has to provide aid for Roanoke County and similar counties," he said. "We are fortunate that the Board of Supervisors has made schools its top priority."
For the next school year, the supervisors provided an increase of $3.3 million in local funds, and the state provided less than $500,000 additional funds.
One uncertainty for county schools in the few years will be the switch to an elected School Board, Thomas said.
"I am not in favor of elected boards. They may be needed in some localities, but not in Roanoke County," he said. He believes that many residents were confused last year when they voted for elected boards.
Three board seats - Hollins, Vinton and Windsor Hills - will be up for election in November. The seats for Thomas and Mitchell won't be up for election until November 1995.
Thomas said he won't decide until next year whether he will seek a new term.
"I want to see how we can work with elected board members before deciding what I will do," he said.
Thomas said he has tried to be fair in providing school programs and facilities for all county schools. But he feels especially proud of the athletic accomplishments of Glenvar High in recent years, including the school's state championship baseball, golf and boys' tennis teams last school year.
Glenvar also had a semifinalist softball team. The school won the Central Fidelity Cup because it had the best overall sports program among Group A schools in Virginia during the 1993-94 school year.
Other county high schools - Cave Spring, Northside and William Byrd - often get more attention because they are larger, but Thomas said he believes Glenvar's success in athletics and academics shows that the School Board has tried to treat the schools the same.
Thomas is an enthusiastic and loyal fan of Virginia Tech's athletic teams and has season tickets for the basketball and football teams.
For recreation, he likes to snow ski and water ski. He also likes to work on his lawn and tries to jog three miles every other day.
\ FRANK THOMAS| CHAIRMAN OF ROANOKE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD
Age: 53
Hometown: Roanoke County
Education: Andrew Lewis High School, 1959; Virginia Tech, B.S, Agriculture Education, 1963
Professional: Vice president, Thomas Brothers Inc., a construction and excavation business.
Family: Married; wife, Shirley; two children, Debra, 26, and Frank Jr.
School and community activities: Roanoke County School Board, 1983-present; Glenvar Elementary PTA, president, 1982-84; Glenvar High School PTA, 1983; Chairman of the West County Advisory Committee on the Glenvar high school, 1982; member of Roanoke County School Board Citizens Advisory Committee on Nonsalary Items, 1982 and 1983.
Quote: ``The toughest part of the job is dealing with disciplinary and personnel problems. Fortunately, we have not had that many discipline cases. I have learned that you can`t please everyone.''
by CNB