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A few schools across the nation have decided to shut their doors in response to potential swine flu outbreaks, and the Department of Education says that's OK.

In a conference call with a group of educators, Ed secretary Arne Duncan and folks from the Office of Safe and Drug-Free schools said to follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control. That agency suggests a closure if an outbreak has occurred.

Montgomery County's assistant superintendent sat in on that conference call, but the school system isn't planning any closures.

Duncan encouraged schools to closely monitor students' health, which they plan to do.

Joni Underwood, health supervisor in Montgomery County's schools, said she doesn't expect much to be different in schools, but she said they'd be a little bit more cautious when it comes to flu symptoms.

School systems also have "pandemic" emergency response plans, which were required in the wake of avian flu scares.

Folks who eat at Texas Roadhouse tonight can support Falling Branch Elementary.

The school's Parent Teacher Association is sponsoring a food night from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., which means that 20 percent of the cost of each ticket will benefit the PTA, if you let your server know that's why you're there.

Students also have flyers, and some can be picked up at the front of the restaurant.

The partial proceeds method of fundraising is becoming increasingly popular in schools and other organizations across the region.

Here's a more in-depth look at the Montgomery school board's first crack at finding a new superintendent.

Montgomery County has more to offer than just Virginia Tech, school board members say, and they want to find a headhunter willing to promote the whole county to prospective superintendent candidates.

The board could start hearing from those companies soon after deciding at its meeting Tuesday night to send out a request for proposal to find a firm. It’s the first step in hiring someone to replace outgoing Superintendent Tiffany Anderson, whose last day with the district is June 30.

The vote to circulate the proposal was 5-1, with board member Joe Ivers dissenting. Board chairman Wendell Jones was absent from the meeting.

Ivers said he’s worried about what a national firm might cost and that he has already heard complaints for residents about the potential cost of such a search in “tough times.”
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Montgomery County is officially on the hunt for a superintendent.

At its school board meeting Tuesday, board members chose 5-1 to send out a "request for proposal" to find a firm to help lead the search.

A listing for the job itself wont' likely go out until later next month.

Board member Joe Ivers disagreed and board chairman Wendell Jones was not present.

Ivers said he's worried about the money and potential to overlook qualified candidates within Montgomery County and Southwest Virginia. He said the board should take its time finding a superintendent.

However, state law says that the district must have a leader within 180 days, and an interim super, which he suggested, is not appropriate, according to attorney Brad King.

Other board members said they wanted to cast the wide net, and that they didn't expect that to preclude any candidates locally.

"The University of North Carolina did not create a national championshp team by recruiting only in the state of North Carolina," said board member David Dunkenberger.

Montgomery County school board members want to get the ball rolling on a superintendent search to replace Tiffany Anderson by next week. And, most say they're in favor of using a national search firm, which could be costly.

Tonight, the seven board members said they'd review this week a proposal from the 2004 search that resulted in Anderson's hiring and plan to approve a similar ad at a meeting Tuesday. That ad would help them find a firm. An ad for the superintendent's position would likely be placed once the board hired a search firm. Anderson leaves the district effective June 30, and the board has 180 days after that to find a replacment.

In the 2004 search, the school board used national firm Ray and Associates, which cost close to $25,000.

The Virginia School Board Association offers statewide and regional search assistance, but Montgomery board chairman Wendel Jones said he wouldn't work with them again  based on a poor experience during the hunt that found Anderson.

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A school district in Arizona facing a tight budget is looking at whether each school in its division needs a full-time principal. Cutting back vice principals and principals to half-time jobs is just one measure suggested in the Tucson Unified School District.

The ideas got me thinking about some of the early plans discussed in Montgomery County's schools.  School board member Joe Ivers later said he was in favor of making schools share some assistant principals or to have them teach classes.

His ideas drew the ire or some, but it's interesting to see that he's not the only one with the ideas. As this article says, the freedom to choose half-time principals also means choosing not to have one at all. "if they can come up with a way to ensure duties typically carried out by principals are still completed."

What do you think?

RADFORD — A Christiansburg Middle School teacher won a $25,000 regional educational award tonight.

Jayanne Bridges, who teaches sixth-grade science, is one of two top winners in the 2009 McGlothlin Awards for Teaching Excellence from the Bristol-based McGlothlin Foundation.

The regional award, open to teachers from parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee, is one of the largest education awards in the country. It was awarded at Radford University.

Bridges has taught in Montgomery County’s school since 1994.

She must use at least $10,000 of the award to travel internationally. The awards are designed to “bring the world” to those who win, according to the foundation. Bridges plans to use the money to travel to Africa. While there, she  plans to work with underprivileged children in reading, math, computer skills and conservation science.

Judges said Bridges impressed them with hands-on lessons and community service projects.

To be eligible, teachers must have been in the classroom for at least five years. Applicants are judged on a four-month long application that includes classroom observations, sample lesson plans and an essay about how they plan to teach students about the world.

Other semi-finalists for the award this year included Troutville Elementary teacher Teresa Hash and Pulaski County High teacher Erin Wigginton. Each won $1,000 and a trophy.

Teachers at Radford's Belle Heth and McHarg elementary schools got a sneak peek at the new Belle Heth this week along with their new principal, Jack McKinley.

McKinley takes the helm of the school on July 1 from Floyd Elementary. On a tour Tuesday, McKinley said he was pleased to enter the new two-story elementary. He spent part of the day before the tour meeting with his staff, he said.

You can read more about the tours and the new school in tomorrow's Current.

The Environmental Protection Agency plans to monitor the air at 62 schools after a series of articles from USA Today spotlighted poor air quality at a host of schools nationally.

Five Pulaski County schools were on the list of some of the "most polluted" schools in the nation.   However, in a report today, the EPA says it will only examine the air at one Virginia school -- Solid Rock Academy/Early Learning Center in Madison Heights.

According to the agency, "EPA selected schools after evaluating a number of factors including results from an EPA computer modeling analysis, the mix of pollution sources near the schools, results from an analysis conducted for a recent newspaper series on air toxics at schools, and information from state and local air pollution agencies.  "