Goff to seek seat on School Board

Longtime Cedar Mountain resident Richard Goff lists four reasons why he’s seeking a seat on the Culpeper County School Board during the November election.

1) Preserve as many of the educational programs that provide direct services to children.

2) Prevent costly staff turnovers by determining why employees are leaving.

3) Avoid micromanagement in the school division.

4) Continue the partnerships between the School Board and other boards and organizations.

In November, Goff will challenge two-term incumbent Elizabeth Hutchins for a chance to represent constituents in the Cedar Mountain District.

In a head-to-head race, Hutchins defeated Goff during the November 2005 election with 65 percent of the vote.

Board communication
Goff, a Lynchburg native and a fixture at many School Board meetings, suggests more dialogue is needed between the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors and the School Board.

He also urges more communication between supervisors and School Board members who share the same district. However, he praises the recent communication efforts between both boards.

“I think the relationship between the two boards has improved considerably,” he said. “I think one reason for that is the joint meetings that are held. I’ve been able to go to a number of these, and there seems to be joint input between the members of both boards on issues. It’s very interesting for the crowds to see this input.

“The other thing I think is helping is the start of the (public) forums.”

Asked why he’s interested in representing the school division, Goff said he’s doing it for the children.

“I can see that these are the people that will carry on our thoughts in society,” he said.

Financial skills
If elected, Goff says, his business skills will be an asset.

“I consider myself a CEO because that’s what a minister is,” said the retired pastor. “You don’t just do the normal functions. You look at where the revenue comes in, because you have to. You look at how you can cut the expenses, because you have to. We did that constantly.”

As a church leader, Goff said he helped develop a five-year plan.

“I was the person that they asked to chair the committee to develop the plan to cover 32 churches,” he said. “I knew about five-year plans in the ’80s. We should be beyond that now, but again the economy throws us for a loop at times.”

Goff also lists some of the classes such as “public policy” and “the economic history of the U.S.” that he’s taken at the University of Virginia.

“It’s survival skills. I do have planning skills too,” he added.

Goff says he has a “functional knowledge” of the education system because his wife works as a teacher at Emerald Hill Elementary School.

“I hear about it at home,” he said. “I’m a person that’s willing and able to learn, and this is something that’s attracted me. And when I get attracted to things that I want to learn about, I do it. And maybe in the process I can contribute something.”

Standards of Learning
While Goff believes that SOL testing isn’t going away any time soon, he can see both positives and negatives about the program that stems from the federally mandated No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

“I think it’s something that’s probably going to stay,” he said. “To be honest, I went through high school with some people that probably shouldn’t have graduated because they didn’t have too many skills.

“A test like this is an opportunity for you to show what you’ve learned. It does give you a way to measure your progress, and it does give you skills. But there is a lot of tension that kids have over this. Of course, the average kids are the ones that we’re trying to push to go to college.”

After college, Goff went to a seminary and later served as a member of the Brandy Baptist Church for 26 years.

Before retiring in 2005, he worked as a substitute teacher for Culpeper County Public Schools.

About Richard Goff

Age: 61
Family: Married to Joyce for 33 years; they have no children
Education: Bachelor’s degree in English from Lynchburg College in 1970; master’s degree in education and administration from Southwestern Seminary in 1973; master’s degree in public administration from the University of Virginia in 1991
Employment: Retired minister and educator
Community service: Rappahannock-Rapidan Community Services Board Area Agency on Aging; Brandy Station Lions Club president; Empowering Culpeper, USDA Food Distribution volunteer; Stage Alive Community Concert Association; past chairman, Strategy Planning Committee of Shiloh Baptist Association
Public office: Seeking election for the Cedar Mountain District School Board seat