Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 2, 1995 TAG: 9511020070
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Jordahl, a candidate for the Cave Spring seat on the board, has charged that the board is the "broken link" between parents and schools.
According to Jordahl, the board is too quick to acquiesce to federal and state regulations, defends poor academic achievement and refuses to hear parents' comments or suggestions.
That has angered board members, who called a news conference to clarify what they claim are Jordahl's distortions.
"We realize and understand that a campaign is a campaign, and any candidate who expects to be elected must run a vigorous campaign," said Chairman Jerry Canada. "We also realize that any citizen is entitled to their own opinions."
But board members believe Jordahl has gone beyond campaign rhetoric and has misrepresented the facts, Canada said.
Jordahl, an ethics professor at the College of Health Sciences, is distributing a campaign brochure itemizing five examples of what he calls the "broken board."
Here are Jordahl's criticisms and the board's replies:
Jordahl: The board sent parents notices of the state-mandated "parental responsibility contract" on discipline when it should have delayed doing so on ethical grounds. If there had been an ethicist on the board to urge a delay, a lawsuit would not not have been filed against the county over the contract.
Board: State law required that the notice be sent to parents. The board did not act on the matter. Ethics required the county to comply with the law.
Jordahl: There are no professional educators on the board to help develop the educational program for the proposed new Cave Spring High School.
Board: By state law, lay people of the community make up the board. One of the primary functions of the board is to hire educational professionals to design programs and policy.
Jordahl: The board spent $300,000 to install an elevator at Cave Spring Junior High School to serve 1 percent of the students. The funds should have been spent on air conditioning to benefit all students.
Board: The elevator was installed to comply with federal mandates for disabled students. Similar elevators have been installed in several other schools to provide equal educational opportunities for all students. The elevator cost $100,000; the $300,000 contract included the cost for window replacement and air-conditioning a portion of the school.
Jordahl: Scholastic Achievement Test scores in the county are below the national average, and 26 percent of the county's sixth-graders failed the state's Literary Passport Test.
Board: The county's SAT scores can't be compared with national scores because 66 percent of county students take the SAT, compared with 42 percent nationally. The county scores would improve if only its best students took the test. The county's pass rate on the Passport Test is above the state average and ranks in the top 10 percent of school divisions.
Jordahl: The board has refused to allow residents to speak at some meetings.
Board: There is an opportunity for members of the public to speak at every meeting. Residents have been denied permission to speak publicly only a couple of times in the past decade. Those occasions dealt with personnel matters, and residents were invited to speak to the board in closed sessions.
Jordahl, contacted after the news conference, said he stands behind his brochure and criticisms. He said the board's responses are "poor and weak," adding that board members are rationalizing their actions.
"They want to run a closed shop, and that is the reason that I am running for the board," he said. "Someone has got to fix the things that are broken, and these are not the ones to do it."
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB