WHO GOES TO FALLING BRANCH? CHECK THE MAIL, PARENTS TOLD

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

DATE: THURSDAY, February 6, 1992                   TAG: 9202060227
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium
WHO GOES TO FALLING BRANCH? CHECK THE MAIL, PARENTS TOLD
Parents of elementary and primary pupils attending Christiansburg schools will be notified by mail Feb. 19 whether their children will be attending the new Falling Branch Elementary School next year.
Superintendent Harold Dodge told the Montgomery County School Board on Tuesday night that, after public hearings last month, a special school redistricting committee is recommending that the new school's attendance zones be left as originally proposed.
Dodge reminded the board that students will be required to attend the school to which they are assigned. Transfers to other Christiansburg schools will not be allowed, regardless of parents' day-care arrangements.
The Falling Branch school was built to relieve crowding at Christiansburg Primary and Elementary schools. Even so, after Christiansburg Primary School transfers 226 pupils to the Falling Branch school next year, it still will be operating at its rated capacity, Dodge said.
The School Board will vote on the redistricting plan at its Feb. 18 meeting.
But what's on top of, as well as what's inside, the Christiansburg Primary School occupied the board Tuesday night.
It seems the roof leaks.
Dodge said the school is suffering major damage to its superstructure and contents. The roof is the top priority on the board's capital improvements budget, Board Chairman Robert Goncz said.
The School Board agreed to ask the Board of Supervisors for permission to use some of the proceeds from last year's $3.25 million school bond sale to replace the roof. The bonds were sold primarily to pay for the new Falling Branch school, but also were authorized for other school building needs.
The roof was installed in 1988 to settle a warranty, so it is not under warranty. The company that installed it since has gone bankrupt.
Dodge said roof work also is needed at six other county schools where water damage is occurring. The total cost of that work is estimated at $3 million, but only $400,000 was left over from the bond sale.
In other action, the board:

Heard that county cannery operations, which are supervised by the school system, cost the system money last year.
Revenue from the canneries, including a $2,400 subsidy from the Board of Supervisors, was $6,781. Salaries for cannery employees, excluding fringe benefits, totaled $6,240. That - added to the cost of fuel, maintenance and repairs - pushed the canneries into the red.
The canneries, Blacksburg Middle and Auburn High schools, also need their boilers replaced, Dodge said.

Watched as Vicki D'Amico of WSLS-TV presented Blacksburg High School's High-Q academic team with its championship trophy.
The Blacksburg team of Eliza Richards, David Tze, Tehshik Yoon and Erel Topuz beat 33 other regional high school teams to win the competition sponsored by the Roanoke television station.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB