Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 7, 1995 TAG: 9510070018
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
They hire the school superintendent, principals and teachers. They prepare the school budget. They choose the textbooks.
School board members also evaluate the instructional program and determine whether changes are needed in the curriculum.
And that's not all.
They are responsible for long-range planning for school systems and providing adequate facilities for thousands of children.
Subject to approval from the local governing body, they decide when to build new schools, renovate others and purchase school buses. School boards do not have taxing power, so they have to depend on the local board of supervisors or city council to provide their funds.
Board members approve the school calendar and field trips, which require students to be out of class for several days.
And they decide which students will be expelled for misbehaving or violating school rules.
Board members meet at least once a month for several hours. In some counties, they meet twice monthly.
The pay is low - ranging from $1,200 to $2,900 annually in Western Virginia localities.
The General Assembly sets a salary limit for each locality. But there are no guidelines for the limits, which are set on an individual basis, said David Blount, governmental relations officer for the Virginia School Boards Association.
If localities want to increase their limits, they have to get a state legislator to introduce a bill, Blount said.
The salaries in some counties are lower than the ceiling: Montgomery County's limit is $3,600, for example, but board members are paid only $1,800.
The salaries are $8,000 in some Northern Virginia counties, but those school systems have larger enrollments.
Most school board candidates in this region said they are not running for the money. In fact, some said they didn't even know the job paid anything when they entered the race.
Despite the small salaries and big responsibilities, some people want the job. School board elections are next month, and there are 74 candidates vying for 41 seats in nine counties in Western Virginia.
There are three candidates for some seats, but there are uncontested races for 12 seats.
These will be the first school board elections in the region - except in Roanoke County, where voters first chose school board members a year ago.
Three-fourths of the incumbent appointed members in Western Virginia are running to keep their seats. Only one-third of the incumbents ran in Alexandria and Richmond last year, according to the Virginia School Boards Association.
The candidates have different reasons for running, but most said they have an interest in children and want to make a contribution to their communities.
The first-time elections have focused attention on the duties, powers and responsibilities of school board members.
School boards derive their powers from the state Constitution, state laws and the state Board of Education.
Based on a guide by the Virginia School Boards Association, school boards have four main responsibilities:
Maintaining a quality instructional program - evaluating instruction, assessing needs and adopting textbook and teaching materials.
Managing and directing the school system - hiring and directing the superintendent, developing the school budget and making sure schools are kept in good condition.
Setting policy to govern the school system - protecting student rights and following state laws and regulations of the state Board of Education.
Communicating between the school system staff and community - keeping the public informed and promoting public awareness of the schools.
While state law and regulations control many aspects of public schools in Virginia, local school boards have broad authority in managing schools, said Pam Huggins, former chairman of the Staunton School Board.
"The primary responsibility of the school board is policy-making," Huggins said. "The school board is charged to establish and review all policies which govern the school system and to ensure that these policies are executed appropriately."
Children are the bottom line for school board members, she said.
"The individuals who accept an appointment to the school board or who seek an elected position must first, last and always care deeply about the children in their community," she said. "All of the children."
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB