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

DATE: FRIDAY, March 16, 1990                   TAG: 9003162466
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: ?????????????????   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: MIKE HUDSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ROANOKE COUNTY SCHOOL OFFICIALS HAVE PROPOSED

School Board members praised the proposed $62.2 million schools budget presented to them Thursday night. They will meet with the Board of Supervisors for a work session Tuesday night and make a final decision in two weeks on what proposal to send on to the supervisors.

The spending plan for the budget year starting July 1 represents a 6.5 percent increase over spending for the current budget year. Spending for non-salary items would increase 12.5 percent.

The budget exceeds expected revenues by $237,273. That money will either have to be cut out or made up by additional money from the county.

The pay-raise section of the proposal calls for increased supplements for teachers who educate themselves beyond four years of college.

School officials also are asking that personal leave for teachers be increased to one full paid day and four partial days. Currently teachers get five days of personal leave at partial pay, with the cost of their substitutes deducted from their checks.

Last week, PTA officials had announced they were going to ask the board to trim teacher pay raises to 4 percent in order to increase non-salary spending. But the PTA withdrew the idea after pressure from teachers and parents who said teachers shouldn't be asked to subsidize the non-salary budget.

At Thursday's work session, Superintendent Bayes Wilson also outlined a three-year proposal for capital improvements totaling more than $7.5 million.

The capital plan includes an estimated $500,000 to install air conditioning at Cave Spring Junior High, along with classroom additions at Northside High and Mason's Cove Elementary.