Head of Va ed board to launch statewide tour

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The head of the Virginia Board of Education is launching a statewide listening tour.

Board President David Foster will begin the tour next Tuesday with a two-day visit to the Leonard A. Gereau Center for Applied Technology and Career Exploration in Franklin County.

Officials say the tour is designed to give parents, teachers, local school board members, administrators and others an opportunity to express their views on issues facing the state's public schools.

The board is responsible for setting policies for public schools, including establishing curriculum and accountability standards for schools and licensure requirements for educators.

Foster plans to visit all eight of Virginia's educational administrative regions by the end of the year. He will be accompanied by another board member on each stop of the tour.