THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 4, 1994 TAG: 9411040731
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
Huddled around tables, representatives of Hampton Roads cities argued over how to split a $10 million bill for advertising to attract tourists to the region.
Some suggested basing each city's contribution on population. Others proposed tying payments to a percentage of each city's sales-tax revenues.
In the end, no one could agree on the fairest way to pay the bill.
Luckily, the discussion was only an exercise.
The hypothetical problem was posed for school administrators who had been asked to pretend they were political representatives of the cities. The purpose was to illustrate the problems Hampton Roads has had with regional cooperation.
It was just one of the tasks the administrators tackled Thursday at the second daylong session of a two-year training program named the Hampton Roads Education Leadership Academy.
The academy, sponsored by the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, is aimed at teaching the region's principals, aspiring principals and other administrators how to be good leaders and how to turn out students who will be productive in a changing economy.
This is the first year of the academy, and it is getting rave reviews from educators.
``As a principal, it broadens the horizons for me,'' said Stephen Peters, who heads Lafayette-Winona Middle School in Norfolk. ``I'm excited about it.''
Last month, participants learned about the area's political history and climate. Thursday, they heard from business leaders and an economics professor at Old Dominion University about Hampton Roads' economic outlook, and what part public schools are likely to play.
In future sessions, participants will learn leadership and management skills and how to cope with technology and change. by CNB