Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 14, 1995 TAG: 9510160078
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: LISA APPLEGATE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Long
Two candidates - each hoping to represent the densely populated eastern part of Blacksburg on the Montgomery County School Board - are offering their versions of what needs to be done to improve schools.
Both Peggy Arrington, who now represents District G, and challenger Wat Hopkins agree Montgomery County pupils should strive to be as successful as possible. But they agree on little else.
Test scores, says Arrington, should be the measure of how well students are doing and what changes need to be made to boost scores.
Testing is important, Hopkins said, but the School Board needs to focus on providing the most diverse curriculum possible to allow every student to achieve in his or her own way.
This is the second time the two have competed for the seat. Last year, the Board of Supervisors chose Arrington over Hopkins in one of its last appointments before moving to elected school boards.
Arrington said during her yearlong term she has pushed the School Board to assess its performance.
"If you want to make decision in a group, you've got to work on the whole process."
Too often, she said, the board is guilty of implementing a program, then not following up to see if the program was effective. The important thing is to assess the work the board is doing to ensure there is long-range progress being made, she said.
Standardized test scores are an ideal tool to make sure the schools are doing more than maintaining status quo.
"I'm simply asking, 'How do we stack up?' If there's a job in Christiansburg, our students are only going to get it if we're competitive nationally, even internationally," she said.
Hopkins, on the other hand, said it's more important to focus on the individual student. Too much emphasis can be placed on test scores and not enough on helping students reach their individual potential.
Tests are important, he said, but Hopkins fears teachers will be forced to teach certain curriculums only because it will appear on a test.
Instead, the School Board needs to set the tone for an enthusiastic environment where teachers feel free to try different techniques and pupils to have fun learning.
"There are a lot of ways to teach the same skills. Teachers need the freedom to teach in a way that best promotes learning and be allowed to try new ideas without being criticized," said Hopkins, who is married to a teacher.
Students should be prepared for one of two things by the time they finish Montgomery County Schools: college or full-time employment. But that requires a broad range of programs.
"Vocational education, for example - it's not enough to teach skills. We've got to train them to think. That includes fine arts classes, which help with problem-solving skills. That includes technology to prepare them for the 21st century."
Hopkins supports Focus 2006, particularly because the development of the initiatives involved community input.
"If [a community] knows what's going in, they're not suspicious. That way, if something is done over their wishes, at least they'll understand why."
Arrington acknowledged some parents think there's not enough communication within the system.
"Parents are not sure the School Board and administration are always listening, and sometimes I agree with them."
Arrington said she's been trying to foster greater communication. When the Board of Supervisors recently suggested Blacksburg Middle School should be renovated rather than build a new school on a different site, Arrington pushed to send the idea back to the community group that studied the facility plan.
Hopkins, who was endorsed by the Montgomery County Education Association's Political Action Committee, said the board has done nothing to improve the relations with teachers, even after an employee morale survey gave the administration low marks more than a year ago.
"Since nothing was ever done to improve [morale], you'd have to presume that it is not very good."
Addressing employee concerns, he said, would be one of the best ways the School Board could improve education.
In the past year, Arrington said, she's visited all the schools and talked with teachers on their lunch breaks. On a personal level, teachers give her positive feedback on most issues, she said.
But, as a general rule, "I sense a great amount of distrust and emotional reaction, but I'm not sure why."
Arrington said teacher salaries need to be raised to state levels. It's tough to do that, though, and still fund all the initiatives established in Focus 2006. "So, maybe it won't happen as soon, but we need to get [them] there."
Now that some of the priorities from the community's 2006 plan for the county's schools - like a lower pupil-teacher ratio - are under way, she said, she wouldn't be surprised if the board could focus its attention on giving teachers a 3 percent raise.
Name: Peggy Arrington
Age: 44
Occupation: mother; part owner with husband of software development and management consulting firm
Educational background: Graduate of University of Colorado; master's in psychology, Missouri University
Family: Married to R.J.; mother of one son at Gilbert Linkous Elementary
Community ties: Parent-volunteer, Gilbert Linkous Elementary; volunteer, Blacksburg Sunfish swim team
What have you learned while serving on the board? A great deal about how this school system works and about the diverse population in the county. "We [the School Board] don't assess what we do very well."
Last book read: "Your Mother Was a Neanderthal" by Jon Sciezka. "That was a book I volunteered to read to a class, and I like to read them before hand."
Campaign method: Door-to-door; bumper stickers designed by her sister-in-law
Core beliefs: Continuing with the goals set in Focus 2006. The community groups who helped define the initiatives "came up with some great stuff. Any new programs need to be based on 2006 so there's not a piecemeal set of programs."
Why is she the best candidate? "For one thing, I've got the time. I go in every month to the four schools and talk with teachers during lunch time." Plus, she added, "I have a background in learning, but not in education - that's a different angle that can be helpful if we need to take a critical view and say, 'OK, how are we succeeding?'"
Name: Wat Hopkins
Age: 45
Occupation: Virginia Tech communications professor
Educational background: Graduate of Western Carolina University; master's in journalism and doctorate in mass communications research, University of North Carolina
Family: Married to Roselynn, an art teacher at Kipps Elementary; father of three sons, the youngest at Gilbert Linkous and the middle child at Blacksburg Middle School
Community ties: Member, United Methodist Church; member, PTA; board of directors, Wesley Foundation
Ever attended a School Board meeting? He started attending meetings in 1988 when he served as the legislative representative for the Gilbert Linkous PTA and has gone to them regularly ever since.
Last book read: "The Chamber" by John Grisham
Campaign method: Door-to-door; phone banks; yellow and blue bumper stickers
Core values: "The attitude of the school system begins with the School Board." The board needs to establish a creative environment where new teaching methods can be explored and learning can be fun. The schools need to prepare students for the next century through everything from vocational curriculums to quality fine-arts programs. Community input should be considered before the School Board makes decisions on school schedules and building plans.
Why is he the best candidate? "Education is important to me, and after serving on the County Council of PTAs, I felt like I did as much as I could without being on the other side." He said he likes to think of himself as a bridge builder, helping opposing sides reach a consensus.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB