Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 18, 1992 TAG: 9202180180
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTYi
DATELINE: FLOYD LENGTH: Medium
TEACHERS SEEK TUITION AID FOR RECERTIFICATION CLASSES
The Floyd County Education Association has added one more item to its compensation proposal for next school year: - more tuition assistance for teachers."One of the things we've been working with [School Superintendent Dr. Omar] Ross on is ways to increase tuition assistance available to teachers to renew or expand their certification," Reba Goff, president of the education association, told the School Board on Monday.
She also said that the measure was inadvertently left out of the compensation proposal that the association made last month. The other points of that proposal were a 10 percent salary increase for teachers, full payment of single-subscriber health insurance premiums, and an unencumbered planning period for elementary-schoolteachers.
Under state guidelines enacted in 1990, teachers must accumulate 180 recertification points every five years. One way to do this is to take a pair of three-hour, graduate-level college classes. And teachers who do not hold a master's degree must take at least one such class to fulfill recertification requirements.
Such classes cost between $306 and $550 each, plus books and transportation to area colleges, according to research by the education association.
Along those lines, Ross proposed paying for self-directed computer instruction courses for any school employees. These classes, which can be used by some teachers toward their recertification requirements, would be in commercial word-processing (Word Perfect), spreadsheet (Lotus 1-2-3) and data-base management (dBASE) programs. The proposal passed without opposition.
In other business Monday, the School Board:
Heard a proposal from board Chairman Bill Munzing about creating advisory committees for each school.
"What we're looking for is input and for information to go back the other way," said Munzing of the proposed committees, which would be encouraged to have representatives at all School Board meetings. "If you look out there, the only people here have to be here," Munzing said, noting two reporters and Goff.
The other board members liked the idea in concept but did not want to commit to it until they heard additional details.
Approved the seeking of bids for the purchase of three school buses for the 1992-93 school year. The cost for the vehicles is estimated to be over $104,000.
Decided to join the Floyd County Chamber of Commerce. One of the chamber's projects this year is school-industry partnerships.