Kaine Lauds County Schools

During a visit to Scottsburg Elementary School and South Boston yesterday, Governor Tim Kaine had high praise for Halifax County Public Schools’ early childhood education efforts.
“I can’t wait to see this,” the governor said as he arrived via convoy of state police cars.
Welcoming the governor on his arrival, School Superintendent Paul Stapleton told the governor about the system’s academy approach and some of the programs offered at the pre-K level.
After hearing about the arts academy and the planned motorsports academy for pre-K students, Kaine joined Stapleton, and other school officials as Principal Linda Maitland led the governor on a tour of the school.
Kaine visited numerous classes at Scottsburg, including a pre-K classroom, a science laboratory where first-grade students were working on computers and a fifth-grade classroom where he answered a few questions from the students.
The purpose of his visit, according to the governor, was to look at some of the innovative programs in place for early childhood education.
“We have some funds in this budget for pilot programs and next year when we write the biennial budget I plan to include additional funding for pre-K initiatives,” he said. “I have some good things in the budget and I’m looking around the state to see what kind of good things are being offered in the area and it looks to me like you’re doing some good work here.”
“I think Halifax County would be a good place to serve as a role-model for the other parts of the state,” Stapleton offered.
During his stop in Janet Blevins’ fifth-grade class, the governor took on yet another role – that of teacher.
With the class studying government, Kaine took questions from students about the duties of the governor and lieutenant governor.
“One of the duties of the lieutenant governor is to assume the duties of the governor if something happens to me,” Kaine said with a laugh, adding “not that that’s going to happen, of course.”
Arriving in Constitution Square, South Boston Mayor Carroll Thackston told the dozens of assembled residents, business and community leaders that he had the opportunity to speak with the governor to inform him about some of the initiatives currently under way in the town.
The governor reminisced on his days as a practicing attorney when he visited the town while working in Southside.
“There have been many times that I’ve been on Main Street here right in the heart of South Boston and over the years I’ve had a chance to see the tremendous pride that the community has taken in these wonderful renovations of these warehouses, turning them into a higher education center and arts center, and see some of the neat things happening on Main Street here,” he said. “It’s been great to have a chance to see that develop.”
But it didn’t take long for the governor to return to the subject of early childhood education.
“Halifax County has a unique focus on early childhood education,” he said. “More four-year-olds are in pre-K in Halifax that I’d say were in any other part of Virginia. It’s obviously a tribute to good school board leadership, great teachers and the recognition of the importance of early childhood education.
“It’s all about learning what’s a success then taking that that forward to other parts of the state and saying ‘Hey, you ought to come look at what Halifax County is doing.’”
But the obvious highlight of Kaine’s visit yesterday came as the entire faculty, staff and 295-strong student body at Scottsburg Elementary School lined the sidewalk to wish him well as he departed the school.
“It would be great if I could get this kind of send-off everywhere I go,” he said with a laugh as the students cheered their governor.

SSCSB Nixes Second Chance

By Keith Corum
News-progress staff writer
SOUTH HILL — The Board of Directors for the Southside Community Services Board (SCSB) voted 5-3, with one member absent Wednesday, to uphold its recent decision to not extend SCSB Executive Director Theresa M. Knott’s contract.
A number of SCSB employees, some taking personal or vacation time from work to attend the meeting in South Hill, spoke to the Board on Knott’s behalf Wednesday.
By all indications, the recent decision to send Knott packing after six months at the helm of the SCSB raised more than a few eyebrows among staff. Passionate pleas made on Knott’s behalf were voiced Wednesday, but the Board stood firm on its earlier decision to release Knott after her initial six-month probationary period with the SCSB.
A number of SCSB employees rallied behind Knott, telling the Board that her presence, coupled with her people skills and implementation of new programs and services, had combined to increase morale among the SCSB ranks. According to some in attendance, roughly 115 employees had voluntarily signed off on a recent letter appealing to the Board to reconsider its majority ruling against Knott.
Joyce Willis, a SCSB clinical director, spoke Wednesday on Knott’s behalf.
“It has been an incredible six months since she took over. The increase in morale among the staff in these six months is miraculous. They come to work with excitement. They see what needs to be done and they do it with a renewed energy,” said Willis. After speaking at some length in praise of Knott and her accomplishments during her six month tenure with the SCSB, Willis received a round of applause from the majority of those in attendance.
In the aforementioned letter, the employees said they felt Knott’s “termination was unfair” and described the director’s actions as having “an unbelievable, positive impact in the direction of the Board.”
Employees cited the Board’s expansion of new services, its action offering services for children and improved staff morale under Knott’s leadership.
The following were listed in the letter as significant improvements in services:
•Serving children in the Behavioral Health Centers through telepsychiatry/telemedicine.
•Mental Health Crisis Stabilization implementation. “For the first time, there is an option between consumers being admitted to a locked psychiatric hospital and returning to their community environment,” according to the employees’ letter.
•Beginning to network with other regional CSBs to learn what they are doing in the field of prevention. Exploring grants and other funding possibilities for expanding services and joining as a partner in the newly formed Drug-Free Community Coalition in Halifax County, which is working to obtain federal funds.
•Developing a long-range plan for information technology which included moving toward an Electronic Health Record.
Employees cited the development of partnerships with other providers in the three-county service area of Halifax, Mecklenburg and Brunswick.
Jules Modlinski, prior executive director of the SCSB until his retirement in 2006, briefly attended Wednesday’s meeting. He addressed alleged recent comments of Stan Bradshaw, a member of the Board of Directors, reportedly made about Modlinski. Modlinski asked the Board members if Bradshaw’s feelings reflected their own. Several, but not all members answered “No.”
Before exiting the meeting, Modlinski said he intended to seek legal counsel on whether to move forward with a lawsuit claiming defamation by Bradshaw against him.
“I will not discuss or debate this matter at this time because of the possibility of litigation,” Modlinski said before exiting the meeting.
After Modlinski’s departure from Wednesday’s meeting, Bradshaw confirmed that he had spoken with some SCSB employees recently.
“The reason I went there was to apologize for having let them down…for the working conditions there all those years. In recent months they have been free from the oppression and fear of retribution. I went there as an individual. I think any time you guys want to walk in there you should. The Board has been so far removed…,” said Bradshaw.
Several present Wednesday said rumors were rampant that Modlinski was being considered for his former post with the SCSB. Monica Edwards, supervisor of the Halifax County Support Program, which falls under the auspices of the SCSB, said she felt a moral obligation to speak out Wednesday.
“So many positive things have been done since Ms. Knott came. Because she is excited, we are excited. Now we talk about recovery. That’s exciting.
“There was clearly an air of heavy oppression when Dr. Modlinski was in charge,” alleged Edwards. “I ask the Board to wake up,” she said, adding that she questioned why Modlinski had been allowed to speak before anyone else had a chance Wednesday to voice their say.
“Why was he allowed to speak first? Was that done so as to instill fear in those of us who wanted to speak today? I believe you the Board have been snowed. The side of Dr. Modlinski you see is not the side that we see or that the consumers see,” Edwards said.
About midway through the two-hour-plus meeting, Everette Burwell, a member of the Board of Directors, indicated that the decision to dismiss Knott had been based on her failure to comply with several administrative matters brought to her attention by the Board in recent months.
“We would not sit here today had Theresa listened to some things this Board suggested. We asked her to correct some things. She has not. She was defiant to this Board. She was a beautiful person. It is not about this Board not being nice to her. This Board is accountable to (Boards of) Supervisors. If we don’t do what we are supposed to, someone will be brought in to do it,” Burwell said.
Board of Directors Chairman Shirley Wetherbee echoed the comments of Burwell.
“We first spoke to Theresa in November and again in January. She was not taken unawares by the fact we were unhappy with some things she had done,” said Wetherbee.
Arthur Byrd, a community contracting specialist with the Virginia Department of Mental Health in Richmond, attended Wednesday’s meeting. He encouraged the Board to make their decision on whether to reinstate Knott or uphold her firing with the best interest of those that would be directly affected by the decision at heart.
“If you still feel this person should be terminated you need to get your ducks in a row. When you have a great groundswell from the people like this…I’m amazed at the people going out on a limb so to speak, to let their feelings be known here today.
“It is very important to have documentation. I hope you will make your decisions based on what you feel is in the best interest of the consumers,” said Byrd.
One Board member said that while he did not have the documentation in hand, he believed that a recent performance evaluation indicated that 3 out of 16 performance goals had not been met by Knott.
Numerous pleas were made to the Board to reconsider its decision to dismiss Knott, including one from Bradshaw.
“You do not get these opportunities very often to go back and rectify something that was done wrong. If she lacks administrative ability let’s get someone in here to handle the administration end. I want to vote to reinstate her, give her another probationary period and give her a fair chance,” said Bradshaw.
After the 5-3 vote to uphold Knott’s dismissal, Wetherbee said she would ensure that employees in the tri-county SCSB service region were aware of the outcome of Wednesday’s meeting no later than the following day.
Contacted Tuesday, Knott said she had received a copy of the employees’ letter to the Board.
“I am very touched and honored by them and their comment,” she said. “I had the utmost respect for the staff there and enjoyed working with them to bring new services to all three counties. Of course, this is very disappointing to me professionally and personally. It is just devastating.
“It is a great staff and opportunities for development of new services in the counties ... and I am sorry I will not be there to work with them,” added Knott.
Knott replaced Modlinski following his retirement last year.
Since the Board has not named a new interim executive director for the SCSB, whether or not Modlinski will be asked to return to the SCSB, or whether he would accept such an offer, remains to be seen. The Board agreed that a one-week “cooling off” period, at minimum, should be adhered to before a replacement for Knott is named.
Members of the SCSB Board include Wetherbee of South Hill, Everett Burwell Sr., vice-chairman, and Jacie Roberts, both of Clarksville, Barbara Bass, Joan Thomas, Jeff Pittman and Stanford Bradshaw, all of South Boston, Margaret Noblest of Lawrenceville and Joseph Bitumen of White Plains.

Obituaries

Alberta Medley Edmondson

Alberta Medley Edmondson, 79, of 4010 Mountain Road, Halifax died February 26, 2007, at her home.
Mrs. Edmondson was born in Halifax County May 23, 1927, to the late Albert Medley Sr. and Ludelia Wood Medley and was married tot he late Elmer Edmondson. She was a member of Williams Temple CME Church.
Survivors include two daughters, Alberta E. Powell of Temple Hill, Md. and Janie Edmondson of Fort Washington, Md.; two sons, Elmer Edmondson of South Boston and James Edmondson of Halifax; one sister, Irene Hankins of South Boston; two brothers, Albert Medley Jr. of Washington, D.C. and Willie Medley of South Boston; 14 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; six great-great-grandchildren; tw3o daughters-in-law, Shirley Edmondson of South Boston and Wilma Edmondson of Halifax; one brother-in-law, Lorenzo Cardwell of South Boston; and four sisters-in-law, Jane Barnett, Virgie Chaney, Ella Mae Medley and Betty Medley.
Funeral services for Mrs. Edmondson will be held tomorrow, March 3, at 2 p.m. at Williams Temple CME Church with the Rev. George Brown officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends at Jeffress Funeral Home Chapel this evening, March 2, from 7 to 8, and other times at the home.