Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 28, 1990 TAG: 9003280030
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV8 EDITION: NEW RIVER
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: PEARIS LENGTH: Medium
The work session was also the first time the boards discussed the School Board's decision to close two elementary schools in the next 15 months.
The proposed school budget of $11,630,172 represents an overall 4.62 percent increase over this year's, but the local share will stay at $3.97 million. About $4,300 will be spent on each of the county's approximately 2,700 students.
The supervisors will not vote on the budget until after additional work sessions to review requests from other county departments. Requests from county departments for the next fiscal year total nearly $17 million.
Earlier this month, the School Board voted to close Rich Creek Elementary at the end of this school year. The school has about 90 students enrolled in grades K-5. Next year, students who would have attended Rich Creek will be sent to Narrows.
King Johnston School in Pearisburg, which houses sixth- and seventh-graders, will remain open through the end of the 1990-91 year for seventh-graders only. About 70 students will be in that class.
The School Board approved the closings to save money in the face of declining enrollments and increased costs that include bus replacements, an increase in teacher salaries, asbestos removal plans and repairs to two school roofs.
Those increases amount to almost $900,000. Supervisors asked several questions Monday about the savings realized from closing Rich Creek school and the rationale of keeping King Johnston open for so few students.
Superintendent Robert McCracken said most of the savings come from reduced personnel. Closing Rich Creek gives the system an overall savings of $300,000. After the closings, the School Board plans to turn the buildings over to the supervisors as surplus property.
Supervisor Bobby Compton, who teaches seventh grade at King Johnston, said he and other teachers still want to see a middle school opened to serve sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders.
"I'm on this thing both ways," Compton said of his roles as a supervisor and a teacher. "We've got to save the money . . . we've got to do this but we don't want to sacrifice the programs," such as gym classes and lunch periods.
Compton said closing King Johnston and Rich Creek means Macy McClaugherty and Narrows schools would be overcrowded. He was concerned that the increase would lead to a reduction in time allowed for lunch and classes.
"On down the road we need a middle school," Compton said.
by CNB