ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 18, 1996 TAG: 9601180038
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SERIES: Behind the Budget
SOURCE: LISA APPLEGATE STAFF WRITER
How many bars of chocolate did you buy last fall to help a school fund-raiser?
And what about the boxes of doughnuts, crates of oranges, cartons of pizzas, rolls of gift wrap, wads of raffle tickets and stacks of football programs?
Fund-raising and booster clubs expect to pay for perks like award banquets or marching band trips. Quite often, though, groups are also buying essential equipment such as wrestling mats and Spanish dictionaries - items many say should be purchased by the school system.
They say they don't mind raising the funds, but a little help from the county wouldn't hurt.
"I know it's not easy to come up with the money," said Treesha Baird, president of the Blacksburg Booster's Club. "If we can get support [through county funds] that would be wonderful. But we'll do what we have to to keep [programs] going."
Raising enough funds for what's needed has been a constant struggle, she said. This year, the club may finally pay off the $100,000 spent to build a concession stand and restrooms at Bill Brown stadium.
Next, the club wants to tackle the decrepit press box, another formidable (and expensive) goal.
Auburn High and Middle School's Eagle Pride, a combination of the boosters club and the PTA, raised about $45,000 last year. The group purchased essential materials like graphics calculators for the math department and uniforms for several girls and boys athletic teams.
"Every spring we put out a wish list and tell teachers to fill them out and we'll do what we can" to raise money for the items, explained Treasurer Tom Bland.
Bland said he's concerned that Eagle Pride, rather than the school system, covers the expense for basic educational and athletic equipment. But he, like Baird and others, realizes the reality of budget challenges.
"[The School Board has] heard us loud and clear, but in the long run, if the Board of Supervisors says you've got to cut, that's what they have to do," he said.
In November, School Board member Dick Edwards suggested the board consider including money to help fund-raising groups in next year's budget.
In response, Superintendent Herman Bartlett sent out a memo requesting fund-raising groups report how much money raised last year.
Jim Johnson, president of the County Council of PTA's, said the request was intrusive and advised local presidents not to give out the information.
Edwards retracted his request and the matter was dropped from board discussions.
But administrators still thought about it, and when a preliminary budget was released earlier this month, it contained $50,000 to upgrade athletic equipment.
Bartlett said it was the first time the budget included funds specifically for equipment, but there has always been the goal to help.
"That's something we've tried to bring to the forefront, believing that it was an issue the community was concerned about," he said.
In fact, maintaining and replacing athletic equipment is listed as an objective under the school system's six-year plan. That set of goals and strategies drives how the budget is developed, Bartlett said.
But the $50,000 proposed may spread quite thin.
Take, for example, football uniforms and pads, which run between $30 and $75 each. Blacksburg High School would have to multiply that by the 54 varsity and junior varsity players on this year's teams.
The proposal is a good start, says Marty Childress. An active member of the Shawsville Boosters club, Childress said a good chunk of the $6,000 raised last year went to new equipment and repairs.
But, he said, the School Board needs to address the larger issue of just how many essential items are purchased by volunteers.
"Eventually, I'd like to see the board look at all extracurricular activities to see what they can do to keep kids from selling candy bars all the time," he said.
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