Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, December 8, 1993 TAG: 9312090008
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-10 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Long
``I can't say that any new money will be forthcoming,'' Del. Tommy Baker, R-Dublin, told members of the county School Board and Board of Supervisors at a joint meeting Monday night.
He said there had been a ``gentlemen's agreement'' among the legislators to take a serious look, between sessions of the General Assembly, at ways to address educational disparities between the state's rich and poor school districts.
``And the very serious look has apparently come to the conclusion of `artificial,' '' Baker said, where disparities are concerned.
He was referring to comments at a work session in Williamsburg of the Senate Finance Committee last week, at which an analysis by the committee staff concluded that localities should dig deeper into their own financial pockets to fund their schools.
State Sen. Malfourd ``Bo'' Trumbo, R-Fincastle, was at the Finance Committee meeting and noted that, although it lasted two days, the only thing reported about it in the news media involved the disparities issue.
He said it is safe to predict that will be one of the major matters discussed during the 1994 General Assembly session.
But with a projected revenue shortfall of $250 million to $450 million, he said, it is doubtful that the legislature will do much about it. After meeting with representatives of Gov.-elect George Allen, he said, he thinks that economic development and a crime package will be the big legislative topics.
Trumbo also has been asked to serve on Allen's transition team in the area of education, with emphasis on the subjects of special education and disparities.
Baker said Pulaski County already has committed major local funding to education and done an admirable job ``in light of what you've had to work with.'' He predicted that any relief on disparities will come through a suit filed by a coalition of poor and rural school districts including Pulaski County.
``It's not going to come from the legislature,'' Baker said. ``I regret that. I really do.''
``We won the round with the four-judge panel of the [Virginia] Supreme Court,'' said Superintendent Bill Asbury. ``They said we had a right to sue.''
The state is scheduled to file its rebuttal to that decision this month, and the court will hear oral arguments in February.
Baker said it may be just as well that the legislature will still be in session during arguments on the suit. ``While this thing has been pending, it has given us what leverage we have had,'' he said.
``We have dug as deep as we can,'' said Supervisors Chairman Jerry White. ``If there is no help coming from Richmond, I think the results are going to be catastrophic . . . because we've just about exhausted our resources.''
He said emphasis on economic development at the state level will not help Pulaski County if its schools drop in quality and local taxes for education - as well as human services, roads, solid waste disposal and unfunded mandates imposed by the state - go up to the point where low tax rates are no longer an incentive for new industry.
Asbury said county teachers in the lower grades, where there are fewer students, are seeing an increase in their class sizes because there are also fewer teachers. He said administrative staff had been cut as much as possible, and future cuts would be in instruction.
Asbury said the number of students - the major factor on which state funding is based - is continuing to drop by about 100 a year in the county. ``We're just seeing lots of families leave, hunting jobs,'' said Assistant Superintendent Phyllis Bishop.
Bishop said Pulaski County should have seen 412 pupils enter kindergarten this year, based on the number of births in the county five years ago, but had only 378 registered.
Trumbo recalled that he and Baker worked well with Allen when the three Republicans served together in the House of Delegates.
``I'm hoping our time in the House will help a little bit,'' he said. ``Maybe we can reconstruct that friendship.''
Baker predicted a change in priorities under the Allen administration that would see Virginia offering incentives and recruiting heavily like other states for new industry, rather than simply saying Virginia has what they need or expecting them to come by themselves.
He said he would oppose proceeding with a new family court system and spending $25 million to hire judges at a time when money is needed for education. ``I'm going to do whatever I can to keep us from spending that money on something we shouldn't.''
Baker also criticized the state lottery for spending $80 million to $100 million every two years for advertising when the last part of the lottery bill clearly forbids spending money to induce people to participate. ``It's directly against the law,'' he said.
Asbury recalled promises by Gov. Douglas Wilder and others, who urged voters to approve the establishment of the lottery, that the money would go to capital improvements for education.
``I mean, that's recorded. That's on videotape,'' he said. ``It's crossed some people's minds as to whether that was breach of promise.''
``From a legal standpoint, I don't think you could hold them to it,'' Trumbo said. ``It passed with the wording that it did, and it's up to the executive to fulfill the needs of the commonwealth. And those needs change with the governor's perceptions.''
by CNB