Henrico prepares to welcome new superintendent

HAMPTON Several students are standing on tables when Patrick Russo strolls into a third-grade classroom at Langley Elementary School. They're leaning in for a better view of classmates constructing a chaos tower as part of a science lesson.

The students quickly drop into seats when they see Russo.

The superintendent of Hampton's schools doesn't bat an eye.

"The best classes are active and engaged," he says with a shrug. "That's what learning is all about."

Langley, a lively school where more than 50 percent of students speak something other than English as their primary language, has never failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress and is fully accredited, as are 97 percent of schools in Hampton. This year, the Hampton system should make 100 percent.

The Henrico County School Board hopes Russo can produce similar results in its increasingly diverse system, in which about 94 percent of schools are fully accredited. Russo, 58, will take the helm of Henrico's 48,000-student school system July 1. He'll earn $201,801 annually.

"It really was a two-pronged sort of thing," John W. Montgomery Jr., chairman of the Henrico School Board, said of Russo's selection. "We looked at the achievements he's made in a diverse school system and at his experiences in diverse types of systems."

Russo has been a superintendent for 23 years in urban and rural settings in New York, North Carolina, Georgia and Virginia.

As superintendent of Hopewell's schools in the late 1980s, Russo had a rocky start but won over skeptics as teacher satisfaction, school construction and student scores increased.

Last month, he was named Region 2 superintendent of the year in Virginia, and in 1995, he was Georgia superintendent of the year.

"Pat comes with the experience of being successful," said William Bosher, former dean and distinguished professor of public policy and education in the School of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University. Bosher has served as superintendent in Henrico and Chesterfield County and as state superintendent. He also has known Russo for years.

The state has praised Hampton for narrowing the achievement gap between low-income and other students, an issue Henrico is aggressively addressing as its population becomes more diverse.

Progress and change, Russo said, begin at the school level.

During his five years in Hampton, 26 of the 36 principals have retired or been replaced, he said.

"He tries to build collaborative relationships with the principals," said Linda Shifflette, deputy superintendent for instructional support in Hampton. "The principals' advisory committee gives them a good opportunity to air their concerns."

Russo said the process of hiring principals in his system is arduous, with long meetings between candidates, administrators and the school community.

"But we want the best leaders for our schools. We want to drive the school to the next level."

Nearly 6 percent of Hampton's teachers are board certified, one of the highest percentages in the state. In Henrico, 2 percent of teachers have completed the process, which requires 200 to 400 hours.

"He's been good," said Eileen Adams, a special-education teacher at Bryan Elementary School. "He set a goal of 10 percent overall for teacher board certification. I took advantage of that, and I wouldn't have if it weren't for the encouragement."

Tamara Cooper, principal at Lindsay Middle School, said Russo has high expectations, which can be daunting. But, she said, he was supportive in her efforts to earn accreditation for the school.

"It was always, 'When you get accredited, this is where the party will be,'" she said. "He gave me amazing support, from kind words to funding. He believed it could be done."

The school received full accreditation for the first time in 2008.

. . .

Russo has spent half his life in the South but still has a strong Long Island, N.Y., accent. He tempers that by inserting a few "y'alls" into conversation.

"Which of y'all can guess which state I'm originally from?" he asks a group of fifth-graders at Asbury Elementary School in Hampton.

Despite his attempt at a twang, they correctly guess New York on the second try.

Russo was at the school -- he visits each school in the system at least four times a year -- to talk to students about expectations and achievement.

At an assembly of fifth-graders, he opens the floor to questions.

Some are simple: Does your son Patrick still play soccer? What's your favorite football team? Can we get recycling bins in the school?

Other questions are tougher: Have you ever cheated on a test?

Russo paused, then answered. "Unfortunately, I didn't study and tried to cheat. I got caught. And I suffered the consequences."

. . .

Russo knows about consequences. Before coming to Hampton in 2004, he was superintendent in Moore County, N.C., where he was implicated in a controversy in which a high school paid students for improved SAT scores.

Russo made a public apology and accepted full responsibility. The School Board voted 5-3 against beginning the process to fire him.

Still, the incident surfaced when he came to Hampton, and the local newspaper published several columns challenging his appointment. The paper also questioned the terms of his North Carolina contract, which was rewritten by the School Board during his tenure there.

Russo confronted the criticism by going into the community to sell himself.

"The first year he was here, he made it his business to address folks who had read this stuff and had concerns about the criticisms," said Fred A. Brewer Jr., chairman of the Hampton School Board. "I was proud of the way he handled it.

"That's been one of his strengths. He's done an excellent job of reaching out to the community."

Brewer scoffs at media reports that the Hampton School Board voted against renewing Russo's contract, which would have expired in 2010.

"We never did that," Brewer said.

"I've been pleased with his performance. I would like for him to stay with us a few more years."

Russo's greatest regret in Hampton, he said, was not being more aggressive in school construction.

"I get frustrated when I see the city build a convention center for $100 million and not build schools," he said.

He noted that his offices are located in a modern facility in downtown Hampton, yet the city hasn't opened a new school in 34 years.

Two schools for prekindergarten to grade eight are under construction and were scheduled to open this fall. But the openings recently were postponed until 2010.

Russo instead will oversee the opening of two schools in Henrico in 2010, as well as a growing student population and budget of $518.8 million, more than twice that of Hampton.

. . .

Russo and his wife, Brooke, a nursing instructor, have a combined family with five children. They're thinking about building a home in Henrico when the Hampton house sells. He may commute between Henrico and Hampton for a while, but he said he looks forward to enrolling his school-aged twins in Henrico schools.

Russo hopes to continue his tradition of visiting each school several times a year, but he acknowledges that with 69 schools in Henrico County, it'll be difficult to find the time.

As he pops his head into each classroom at one Hampton school, students look up. Nearly all know him by name.

Those who don't still know he's someone important. Several squeal with excitement. "It's the president!"

Contact Lisa Crutchfield at (804) 649-6362 or .

Patrick Russo