Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 8, 1991 TAG: 9103080524
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By NEAL THOMPSON EDUCATION WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
All those things bit the dust as the Roanoke School Board adopted a $64.2 million budget.
It was the first time the board had adopted a budget smaller than the previous year's. Last year's budget was $64.5 million.
The School Board had to chip away at programs and positions to save $2.7 million. That total was needed to compensate for a loss of nearly $1.5 million in state funds for 1991-92, increased salary and health insurance costs and less money from City Council.
But even though the board made drastic cuts and eliminated entire programs, fewer than 40 people attended Thursday's meeting. Most of those were administrators who had been there already for an earlier meeting.
Earlier public hearings on the budget attracted only a handful of parents and teachers, none of whom voiced any strong opposition to the cuts.
But a lack of community reaction did not prevent Superintendent Frank Tota from taking up the cause. He gave board members strongly worded comments on what the pared-down budget will mean unless council kicks in additional money when it adopts its own budget in May.
"Suspensions will increase, dropouts will increase and student achievement will decrease," he said. "You cannot take a swipe at a budget and take out $2.7 million and expect business as usual."
Tota also said that not only will children suffer, but the community may also suffer socially "because the only place racial integration is occurring is in the schools."
Furthermore, schools have been picking up the slack left by some parents and the police in attempting to keep drugs and guns out of school. But that requires money, Tota said.
"I don't think this budget does that. Let me correct that - I know this budget doesn't do that. And unless we get some additional funds, I think we are going to have some serious problems," he said.
The board also approved its "supplemental budget," an annual request for additional funding from City Council. This year's request is for another $1.6 million to fund pay raises, an expanded full-day kindergarten, dropout prevention programs and other programs cut from the original budget.
"We're hoping that something magic will happen and we'll be able to fund the entire supplemental budget," said board member Sallye Coleman.
The board's budget calls for eliminating 24 teaching positions, four administrative positions and 14 food service and plant positions. No layoffs will be needed, board members have said, because the current rate of retirements and departures should balance those positions.
Other budget-cutting measures include:
Reducing adult education courses.
Eliminating elective summer school courses, unless they are self-funding.
Charging a $25 fee for driver education.
Eliminating the Roanoke Symphony program.
Increasing the pupil-teacher ratio.
Increasing the ratio of pupils to elementary school guidance counselors.
Transferring the Middle School Scholars program for gifted students out of Ruffner Middle School back to individual schools.
Eliminating seven-period high school days.
Most of those cuts were included on the supplemental budget and would be funded if city council approves it. Council members have said it would take a tax increase to pay for all the extra costs the city and its schools face, but such an increase is not likely to be considered.
CORRECTION
PUBLISHED CORRECTION RAN SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 1991
Because of a reporter's error, a story in Friday morning's paper on the Roanoke School Board's budget adoption listed the wrong host school for the Middle School Scholars Program. It is held at the Roanoke Academy for Math and Science.
Memo: Correction