Chesapeake school chairman ruffles feathers, earns respect

CHESAPEAKE

Harry Murphy's shop is a little rough. Sawdust and tools cover the floor and long wood planks stretch from end to end - pieces he uses in his fence- and deck-building business.

Murphy's leadership style also can be rough. A former Navy officer and 12-year veteran of the Chesapeake School Board, Murphy is unapologetically direct about the clashes he has had with fellow board members and the changes he wants to make to Chesapeake's schools.

But even as he ruffles feathers, colleagues say Murphy earns respect and gets things done. And now that he has been elected chairman and is starting yet another four-year term, chances are good the changes he seeks are on their way.

"Harry is a sort of independent thinker," said Jay Leftwich, the board's vice chairman. "He's willing to listen. Sometimes you have to remind him. When he gets hold of an idea, he's like a pit bull, which I think is good.

"That's a great quality."

Murphy, 53, grew up on the south shore of New Jersey. An Eagle Scout, he met his wife at a Methodist youth group and graduated from the Naval Academy in 1979.

Over 16 years on active duty and eight in the Navy Reserve, he visited dozens of countries including Brazil, where he had his appendix removed at a local hospital.

After retiring as a commander, Murphy expanded his carpentry business, located just up the road from the School Board. He lives in Grassfield; two of his three children have graduated from Great Bridge High School. For fun, he runs. Twice he has completed the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach.

Murphy wears cargo shorts to work and suits to board meetings. His blue eyes bore into opponents, and his direct speaking style can catch unsuspecting opponents off guard.

But it seems to work. In the past two years, the board approved two of the measures Murphy championed: Allowing sixth-graders to participate in middle-school sports and putting the division on a 10-point grading scale.

Murphy said he felt strongly that the division needed to drop its old seven-point scale to make Chesapeake students competitive with graduates of other divisions, such as Virginia Beach. And parents, not school officials, should decide whether their sixth-graders are old enough to play sports alongside seventh- and eighth-graders, he said.

Neither idea was universally popular, but both passed. Board members said they didn't mind Murphy's pushing. Rather, they said, they appreciate how their leader agrees to disagree.

"I go back with Harry before the School Board," said Tom Mercer, a board member who baptized one of Murphy's children. "While Harry and I do not always agree on every issue, I consider him a friend."

"I tend to be more inquisitive," especially about ways the schools can save money by doing things differently, Murphy said. "It's challenging the status quo, and I think people appreciate that."

Not everyone approves. The Republican Party of Chesapeake endorsed Murphy in the May election, but the association that represents Chesapeake teachers did not. Murphy said he doesn't know why, and representatives from the association said it's their policy not to release their rationale.

But even without their help, Murphy said this was his most successful campaign yet. He received 12.67 percent of the vote, ranking third after Leftwich and Michael Woods.

Murphy also has the support of his fellow board members - in July they unanimously elected him chairman.

He is careful to say the position isn't a bully pulpit: "You're a leader of everyone," he said.

Nevertheless, he will have a platform, and no one expects him to keep silent. This year he wants to take a look at wellness and physical fitness programs and at beefing up the number of middle school students who take honors courses.

"To get them to graduate, we have to expect more from them in middle school," Murphy said. "You can't wait until they're in high school to say, 'Take this challenging course.' "

More runs for office are likely in Murphy's future, and he said they may or may not be for the School Board.

Just as he saw the Navy and the board as a chance to serve, Murphy said he sees politics as a way to contribute to his community. Already he has dipped a toe in a legislative election, running briefly for the 81st District seat in 2008 before throwing his support behind Barry Knight.

But for now, Murphy is focused on Chesapeake schools. With the election over and four more years stretching ahead, he said he's looking forward to leading. And it helps to know the rest of the board voted for him to become chairman.

"I must be doing something right," he said.

Elisabeth Hulette, (757) 222-5216, elisabeth.hulette@pilotonline.com