Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 14, 1990 TAG: 9007140092
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MARGARET CAMLIN NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
Although present policy says "free textbooks are available if there is evidence of need," principals have asked parents to pay at least part of the $21 annual book fee for years.
This is because schools depend on a portion of the revenue to pay for supplies, according to interim Superintendent Phyllis Bishop. At some schools, a number of parents do not pay the full fee, and those schools have less money for supplies, Bishop said.
A revised policy, which the board discussed Thursday night, would change that. The board likely will vote on it in August.
Students would be allowed to receive free textbooks if they are eligible for free meals. The School Board would pay for supplies for students receiving free books.
About 25 percent of Pulaski students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Bishop said the school system receives about $9,000 from the state for free books.
The provision of free books "is not automatic," noted John Johnston, supervisor of budget and finance. "There are some families who take a good deal of pride in paying what they can." Parents wanting to take advantage of the policy would file an application with the school principal.
Also at Thursday's meeting, the board discussed at length how Pulaski students performed on this past year's standardized tests.
New board member Rhea Saltz noted that 11th-graders scored lower than their counterparts in most other Southwest Virginia school systems. "I don't know how we address the problem, but it is a problem," he said.
"If computer-assisted instruction is going to be what leads us out of the wilderness . . . when can we expect it?" he asked Bishop.
Bishop said it will take two or three years to see a real improvement in test scores. Pulaski County High will have 64-terminal computer labs for individual math and English instruction this fall.
Elementary Supervisor Shirley Cook said test results for fourth- and fifth-graders have steadily improved in the past three years.
Board members seemed most concerned about results from the new state Literacy Passport Test, which students must pass before being promoted to ninth grade.
Sixty-three percent of Pulaski's sixth-graders passed the test, which measures basic skills in reading, writing and math. Fifty-nine students failed reading, 73 failed math, and 105 flunked the writing portion.
Those who failed will take the test again next year as seventh-graders. Their teachers will know who failed this year's test and will give special help, Cook said.
Board member Ann Neighbors said she has mixed feelings about the test. "It really puts the pressure on to get these kids to pass," she said.
by CNB