
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, March 19, 1991                   TAG: 9103190412
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

WHY THOSE ADS RUN FOR MAGNET SCHOOLS

IT'S A SHAME that Don Bartol (Commentary Page, March 7), a former School Board member and principal, didn't have the number of the magnet recruiting office. Had he asked them "the real purpose of [the] advertising extravaganza" for the magnet program, he could have found out the federal grant that funds magnet schools allocates money for advertising. And, as federal grants go, that money may only be used for advertising. State and local monies are not used at all.

Though it may be more palatable to waste federal money than local money, the implication that money is being wasted still exists. Since I left public education, we've had a "clean war," third-generation antibiotics, a promise of an electric car, etc. Yet education remains little changed. Racial prejudice has improved somewhat, allowing economic enhancement for some minorities, but segregation still remains a problem in our society.

I am glad to see federal money support racial balance in our schools, excellent programs for our students and more choice in education. Innovative programming is the ony way we will make the jump to second-generation schools.

Maybe we should be spending more local and state money. With businesses like Pizza Hut supporting programs to entice and reward students (March 7 news article), shouldn't our educators be able to do the same? ALICE McCAFFREY ROANOKE

by CNB