Candidate: I’ll keep smaller schools open

Duane Snow, a Republican vying for the Samuel Miller District seat on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, said Thursday that if he were elected to the board he’d fight to keep three small schools in southern Albemarle open.

Officials have been studying for several months whether to close one or more schools — Red Hill, Yancey and Scottsville elementary schools — in exchange for one or more larger schools.

“You could probably justify it if you’re looking at dollars and that’s the only thing that you look at,” Snow said, adding that there’s a community environment at those schools in which the students all know one another, teachers know the students and parents know one another.

Independent John Lowry and Democrat Madison Cummings are also seeking the seat being vacated by Supervisor Sally H. Thomas. Both candidates have listed education as top priorities.

Super-visor Lindsay G. Dorrier Jr. has also expressed strong opposition to consolidating the small schools.

School officials said Superintendent Pamela Moran plans to make a recommendation to the School Board on Sept. 24 about what should be done with the schools. A public hearing will be held on Oct. 1 and the School Board hopes to make a decision on Oct. 22.

Snow had announced his support for the three small schools in a prepared statement Thursday and also said that he’s forming an education advisory committee.

“I need a committee that can keep me abreast of what’s needed in the classroom,” Snow said, adding that classroom needs vary “from school to school.”

Among other focuses, Snow said he’d work to ensure there’s adequate emphasis on art and music programs in every school.

Snow said the Board of Supervisors should take more responsibility for the school division’s success.

About 60 percent of the county’s budget is allocated to the school system, “and so we just write them a check and send it over and have no idea where it’s going or why it’s going, or where it needs to go,” Snow said.

In other news, School Board officials were briefed Thursday on the school system’s methods of appraising teachers.

Billy Haun, the county’s assistant superintendent for student learning, said teachers being observed by administrators and other teachers is one method the school system is using to appraise teachers, as well as teachers conducting self-evaluations.

Officials discussed the possibility of teachers actually conducting a bulk of classroom observations this school year, as opposed to mostly administrators. One teacher told School Board members that being able to watch other teachers could help her improve teaching methods and that being evaluated by other teachers, instead of administrators, may be less intimidating.

School Board Chairman Brian Wheeler said in an interview prior to the meeting that discussion about teacher appraisals is tied to school officials’ consideration of a teacher performance-based pay system.

“If we’re going to go to some pay for contribution approach, then we have to be confident that we have a good teacher evaluation system,” Wheeler said. “So this is a way for the board to get its head around everything we’re doing now and what some of the gaps are in information that we need before we [consider implementing] a pay for contribution.”