Kaléa Leverette, the daughter of a Navy commander, went to sixth grade in Florida, crossed the globe for seventh grade in Japan, then moved to Virginia for eighth grade.
Each school had a different curriculum, a different grading system and a different set of standardized tests.
She ended up taking pre-algebra twice and world history three times, but missed U.S. history altogether. She also had to make up several Virginia Standards of Learning tests.
On top of the academic obstacles, she lost the opportunity to become a cheerleader during the fall of her eighth-grade year, she said, because she arrived in Suffolk too late for the August tryouts.
Kaléa, now 15, is one of more than 60,000 students from military families in Hampton Roads who face extra academic, social and emotional challenges because of the frequent moves and separations that are part of military life.
“The transition is probably the hardest part for me, transitioning to a new neighborhood, to a new house, to a new school, to new friends,” said Kaléa, who is a straight-A student. “It’s hard for military kids to be caught up with all the students who have lived here all their lives.”
A new interstate agreement seeks to make school transitions a little easier for military children like Kaléa by standardizing how states deal with a host of issues, including record transfers, enrollment, graduation requirements and extracurricular activities.
Eleven states have signed on to the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children so far. But Virginia, which has the second-largest military population in the country, has not.
Del. Mark Cole, a Republican from Spotsylvania, sponsored a bill in the last legislative session that would have added Virginia to the compact. By joining, the state would earn a seat on the commission that will craft legislation addressing how the member states handle military children’s school transfers. It also would agree to rules set out in the compact.
Virginia’s House approved the measure in February, but it stalled in the Senate because of concerns regarding state sovereignty and the potential impact on school districts, said state Sen. Kenneth Stolle, R-Virginia Beach .
“I’m not a fan of compacts, and I don’t think we should delegate our authority or responsibility, you know, to some other organization,” he said. “You just can’t have a group of non-Virginians telling Virginia what the law’s going to be with regard to education policy, even though they’re for military dependents.”
Stolle, whose father served in the Navy, also questioned the need for such legislation.
“You would think by reading the bill that we don’t do all those things already,” he said. “We make every effort, every reasonable effort, to accommodate military families.”
In 2006, the General Assembly passed a law allowing military children to continue attending school in one division even if military orders require the family to move to base housing elsewhere. Virginia also allows school divisions to accept standardized tests from other states to satisfy SOL requirements for graduation and provides training for educators in partnership with the Military Child Education Coalition.
Some school divisions, including Norfolk, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, have their own military-focused programs and training.
Cole said he was surprised by the Senate’s opposition because Virginia is a member of several other interstate agreements and can vote to withdraw its membership at any time.
“It has overwhelming support, which is part of the reason why I was surprised it had a hard time in the Senate,” he said. “Given the number of military dependents we have in the commonwealth, I think it’s the right thing to do.”
Janene Stocking, a mother of three and a Navy wife, said that officials, teachers and fellow parents at the schools her children attended in Michigan and Williamsburg just didn’t understand the military lifestyle.
She and her children received little community support there, she said. But that changed when they moved to Norfolk last summer.
Blair Middle School quickly placed her son Mac, now 12, in honors classes. And Sewells Point Elementary School invited her daughter Julia, now 8, to join a weekly program for military children where guidance counselors lead activities and discussions to help with separation anxiety during deployments, she said.
“It just blew my mind that, you know, this was done and the kids actually got that support outside of the home,” Stocking said. “I didn’t even have to go looking for it, they just did it.”
About a third of Norfolk students are from military families, so the division knows how to help them, said Gary Sigler, a counselor at Sewells Point Elementary, which is about 90 percent military. The school offers mentorship programs, tutoring to help new students adjust to the Virginia curriculum, an after-school program called Operation Hero and other forms of support.
While primary-school transfers are relatively simple, it can be difficult to coordinate record transfers and provide proof of address, which is required to enroll, when a family is still looking for housing, Sigler said.
And, as the Stocking family experienced, not every school division is as accommodating as Norfolk’s.
Things get even more complicated at the high school level.
“For high school, it’s a whole different issue,” said Marian Leverette, Kaléa’s mother and the school outreach educator for the Navy’s Fleet and Family Support Centers of Hampton Roads. There’s “a whole different social issue and their concern is college.”
Grade-point averages may suddenly change when adjusted to a new school’s grading scale. A star athlete may move midseason and be unable to join the new team. Students may have to make up classes and standardized tests to meet the new school division’s graduation requirements.
That’s on top of having to make friends and redefine themselves in a new social environment, said Claudia Sweeney, a guidance counselor at Lake Taylor High School in Norfolk.
Kaléa’s father, Navy Cmdr. Glen Leverette, said he has considered leaving the service because of the strain frequent moves put on his family.
“I know that she’s only going to be a child one time,” he said. “But then you realize that for the service of your country and the duty of defending it against the bad guys, it’s worth it. … It’s the reason why I’m still in.”
To spare Kaléa another move, he has decided to go alone to his next duty station. That way, she can finish high school in Suffolk.
That pressure is why the Department of Defense set out to resolve some of the school-transfer issues military children face by working with The Council of State Governments to create the compact, said Lt. Col. Les’ Melnyk, a Department of Defense spokesman.
“This is not just something we’re doing to make people feel good,” Melnyk said. “This is a readiness issue for the military. If military life is stressing a person, then the person is less likely to stick with it.”
While the compact won’t solve all the challenges associated with being a military kid, Melnyk said, “we really believe that if we can smooth this transition, it goes a really long way in making the moves easier.”
The initiative has gained support from the National Military Family Association, the Military Child Education Coalition and the Military Officers Association of America, among others.
Del. Cole plans to resubmit his bill for the upcoming legislative session in January, but said its chances may be slim because it carries a roughly $80,000 annual price tag.
The cost is relatively small, he said, but “given the budget situation, it may be difficult to get anything that costs any money through next year.”
In the meantime, he is working to garner additional support from veterans and military organizations.
“Military families already sacrifice enough to serve the country,” he said. “There’s no reason their children should have to sacrifice their educational opportunities.”
Kathy Adams, (757) 446-2583, kathy.adams@pilotonline.com
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To Homestead or not to Homestead, that is the question...
The military has been looking into Homesteading some of it's force. The reason why they move them is not because of tradition there is a very important reason to move people, it's called transition. If GM, Capital One, Verizon, or any other company in the free market had as many people always leaving then coming in you would have these compaines moving people around. Case in point, Raytheon. Because of the extent of their world wide contracts they are always looking for people to move to Germany, Japan, and other places. Another case in point is Capital One. During the mid 90's they we begging people to move to other locations because of new center openings and attrition.
The only way to ensure a force is able to meet the needs of the mission is to move people around. Some however; are in a position to homestead. Like my father who spent 10 years in MCAS Beaufort. Or people in Norfolk who "ship hop" and keep their familes there for many years.
Why all the moves?
Has no one considered changing the military. The military that has policies left over from the start of our nation, much of which no longer makes sense or works. It can't be cheep to constantly move personnel and families all over the world yet they do it for the flimsiest reasons. We moved every 18 months for over 10 years. Most the moves, not all, had little reason except policy. We could save so much money as a nation on our military if we just made it more efficient with it's personnel. Just because it's the way it's always been done should no longer be an accepted answer to why.
Help Me Please!!!!
Help me please! I grew up in a Navy family! I went to different schools! My Dad was here, then gone, my schools changed, I struggled to get into college, I had to take classes all over again,then we moved again! 30 years ago, this article would never have even been mentioned, let alone printed! Well, seeing as the government bailed out Wall St. it makes sense that the govt. should step in and bail out the kids and the parents. While your at it, could you all bail me out? I deserve another college education! I deserve lower taxes, good roads, lower prperty taxes! I deserve it, Please, let the state of VA and the Federal govt step in. I shouldn't have to have so much hardship since I served my country! United Socialist States of America here we come!
VA Standards
I have to agree to most of the comments I read. I do have to say that when we were overseas in Italy while my kids did well there when we came back stateside there was no SUPPORT at all for my kids. Va Beach even told us that our son who should be a Sr. this year needed to go to OPEN CAMPUS because the school dist. did not accept all his credits and he was a then 11th grade with 10th grade credits. It was devistating to him. He was in ROTC in Italy and was honor roll. Here not only did we move after the term began but when even the guidance dept. was so negative my son gave up. He saw no way out and quit trying. I am not asking that standards be lowered or anything like that but these kids do need some help with credits that may be missing. It is not there fault if the school they came from only required 1 year of a foriegn language and then get told now you need 3 and you only have 1 year to do that in. There has to be someway to help these kids. It is not their faults that they get up rooted every 3 years.
Virginia is ahead, so why not lead
I'm a military brat and a VA public school teacher. I have experience on both ends of this issue. The Virginia standards are ahead of many states, so there would be a benefit to joining this effort and leading it. It would be necessary to be leaders however, because our standards should not be lowered.
whose problem is it?
I'm the son of a Naval officer, and I agree 100% with CharlesR. Let the feds pay for it, and let Virginia build the bridges so the transplants that clog our roads can get to work/base/school.
recruiting teachers -
For charles-
Our particular duty station did hire the military wives that had teaching experience and yes, they were execeptional. Overall those classes were no different than the states. Those teachers had specific college. The problem being that there were not enough in the right area opening vacant areas which "filled". There needs to be a guideline of removing such teachers when sufficent data supports -despite tenure,etc. It is not a sevice for the childeren/parents to endure that problem along with the stress of moving and setting up household at the next duty station. Again, the overall was very favorable and memorable and we would do it again, just differently.
Thanks
Thanks for the answers. I, for one, do understand the need for education assistance but worry about the funding, especially when the state's money is gone. We have pressing needs everywhere. So how do we fund this?
For the poster who wrote about the other schools my experience, while stationed overseas, was that the DOD schools were excellent, and that all the parents involved liked them very much. The schools had many teachers not connected with the military. They don't recruit them anymore?
Military Brat
I was a Naval military brat for my entire school life. These children will be stronger not weaker in the long run. I had instances where I could not play ball for my school due to transferring in too late but these are not large problems. I never had that "best" friend that I had known for many years but I did meet many, many folks over the years saw many things and would not change it if I could. The kids are fine.
Good goal but be wary of implementation
The goal of helping the military children is a great one.
However when negotiating to cooperate with other states the educational curriculum of the states will need to be taken into consideration. One thing to keep in mind is the liberalization of education in California. They are attempting to remove references to "Mom" and "Dad" from teaching material among other things.
Mom and Dad Axed
The Founding Fathers, for instance, are now referred to as "The Framers," in an apparent effort to make them sound less male-dominant. And there will be no more reading about Mount Rushmore, where the faces of four U.S. presidents are carved into stone, because it appears to offend some American-Indian groups.
Snowman? No more. Melt that image and replace with Snowperson. Want to sail away on a yacht? No, again.
Military Students
Having been a Washington State resident while on active duty and retiring from the Navy in 2006, I prefer my son finish his schooling here in Va. My husband and I bought our house, my car is now registered in Va., and I don't often shop on base. (34 miles round trip) My concern with staying here was the HUGE difference in education between VA and WA. The WASL (SOL=) is so diluted that a 8th grader could pass the WASL required for a high school graduate. It's designed to achieve higher graduation rates, but the students still don't know basic math, english or sciences. It hurts the student but makes the Boards of Education look pretty good. What's the point when a student can't make change for a $20 bill in his/her head!!!
As much as I hate paying the state tax, I know my son it getting a much better education. It's worth the trade off. One day I'll get back to the Northwest but my son's education comes first
Hey Chuck...
My wife is in the Navy. WHen I go to work in VA as a Navy Spouse I pay VA taxes. The house we rented was owned by a VA Native, they paid personal property taxes from the rent I paid them. When we bought a car in my name it was registered in VA to which I paid taxes on. When I transfered my Motorcycle here, since it was in my name, I paid taxes on the bike here.
You're really quick to be dismissive but the vast majority of License plates at the NEX show VA tags. Also, The Commisary is about the only thing cheap for us. The exchange prices are normally matched out in town which is why I shop Best Buy and Circuit City and Wal-Mart and Target. Plus Food Lion has about the best deals on most of the other products that the I use. So yes, I shop the NEX and the Com, but I shop more out in town... Sales Tax anyone...
Actual first hand experience...
We received orders for a tour overseas & first concern was the schools for our child . We were guaranteed the DODEA schools were on top with the states so we looked forward to the adventure. With the knowledge from that tour, I would not advise doing that to your kids. The "base" schools were overflowing with local children that somehow were allowed on base from their employed parents. We were the minority. There are not enough wives to teach from the transfers leaving "locals" in the system to teach. Our particular case had only ONE math teacher for the entire 6th grade, educuated locally. She did not teach,could not even give a syllabus. We have all the documation to support. Needless to say, most that could did homeschool/tutors. Many persued getting a change and bring attention to the administration. However, the fight is effortless. A year of frustration. They know but look at it as "afte
Additional Viewpoints?
A typical story from the Pilot. Everything is a “struggle”. What are the positives? The writer did not explain the components of the compact as well as other details. This one child and one family does not represent the entire military. The Pilot’s readership would have welcomed a broader perspective.
A few answers
First: I am not military, but I am a teacher in VB who works with military families. With regard to military families and the funding that is or is not coming to the schools: the schools do get assistance from the federal government. Each fall, every family has to fill out a card to tell the gov't whether or not they are military. The gov't then provides a large amount to the local districts for filling out these cards, so in a sense, we are getting assistance for the tax question. However, many officers and enlisted families do buy houses in the area, so they do contribute to the local economy.
As a teacher, we do see the impact of transitions with the kids, and it is hard for everyone. We don't know what they already learned at their prior school. We don't know anything about the kids, and it takes time to assess them. BUT, that doesn't mean that we don't work with them and don't try to understand.
A possible solution?
It may seem redundant for this matter, but in the best interest of providing the children a consistant, stable education and environment, would anyone oppose a DODDS school system on the bases around here? I find it counter-intuitive that Va wouldn't want to help the military children. It's not like they asked for this situation...
A pretty simple fix!
The issues here are not only faced by military children but by anyone from anywhere coming into a new school system. The military families do face these challenges more often. Why would it be so hard to standardize the core curriculums and requirements for graduation in ALL Virginia Schools? Call me un-informed, but going one further why can't the standardization for curriculum and graduation requirements be country-wide? Senator Stolle doesn't want anyone telling Virginia what to do or how to do it. Seems to me this idea has merit ----- or is it too simple?
Charles!!!
I truley understand your viewpoint in this matter; however, there are offset fundings when families are residing in military housing. Depending on where there home of record is, they may/may not pay state taxes (if there state have state taxes). Now if a military family have a home mortgage then they do in fact pay property taxes. The Commissary & Exchange does have its advantages in some savings, but the price you pay in fuel to and fro may not be much of a saving. Personally, I think that the armed forces should be "exempt" from Federal Taxes, but hey that's me.
Charles
Matching funds are prodived to offset the impact of military families living in government housing. This may have changed somewhat with the privatization of housing over the past few years.
Those families that own homes/mortgages pay property taxes.
As far as the benefit of Exchange/Commissary...I don't think anyone could give you data on that. However, I tend to shop local vice drive 12-17 miles to a base. Whatever savings I would've realized is taken by the cost of gas.
Do we need this type of program the school-aged children? My view is yes.
education
"EDUCATION" is the key word here. I am a Navy brat and now a Retiree. I know how hard it is moving from state to state with different education requirements. I think that it is a shame that each state sets its own educational guidelines, grading scale, and even what subject you are required to take and how you take them. It does not matter if you are military or not. Educational requirements should be the same coast to coast. This way every child receives the same quality education rather then letting the states economy set the educational standards. This way every student has an equal chance in the work force, colleges, or what ever future they choose. As it is, seems the states are setting the students up on values they see needed, making choices for children.
Just a thought?
Wow! Don't be so quick to make a list of ways you think you are not being supported by military families. Many are homeowners which brings massive tax dollars to our, yes OUR community. I would suspect that not one military familiy, shops soley at the commissary and exchange. If you could see my receipts from my local shopping you might retract your blog. If all of the military families in the hampton roads area were suddenly gone, which is not going to happen, I would like to see the outcry from those who are so quick to say the military families are problematic. We bring tax dollars, volunteers, diversity, workforce talent, disciplined children, talented children, community organizers, disaster relief....should I continue. This article is written to enlighten the community on the difficulties of being a military child. There are unique dilemmas that are real and all military kids are n
As a former navy wife for 20 years
In response to the writer asking about the tax impact of military families, as the working spouse to an active duty sailor, I have paid state income taxes every year to Virginia since transferring here in 1987. We owned two homes and paid the real estate taxes on both. I owned, solely in my name, 3 cars and paid the personal property taxes for all the vehicles. In 20 years as a navy wife, I can count on one hand the number of times I drove out of my way to shop at the Commissary or Exchange, I couldn't justify driving 10 or 15 miles to shop when there were perfectly good stores within a two or three mile radius, including malls. Each school that has a military dependent receives extra funding. And both of my grown children, who are active duty military members, claim Virginia as their home state, so they are still paying income taxes and personal property taxes and receiving no benefit for those taxes the
Money
In a commonwealth that has many things not done because of lack of funds how does Mr Cole plan to fund this? How many military members pay property tax, which is the greatest source of funds for our schools, or even pay state income tax? Do we get any money from the feds for the impact on our schools? And do the programs apply to those not in the military displaced by many other things, or even the civilians in the government who often have transfers during realignments? How many choose to support our economy by not shopping at the exchange or commissary? There are many more questions, but, in the end, why do we need to fund this? If this is a problem for military members maybe the military should fund it. Just a thought.