GIFTED SCHOOL WAITS; NOT ENOUGH IBMS TO GO AROUND

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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 3, 1993                   TAG: 9302030175
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-6   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY  
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DUBLIN                                LENGTH: Medium
GIFTED SCHOOL WAITS; NOT ENOUGH IBMS TO GO AROUND
A new batch of IBM computers for the Southwest Virginia Governor's School will be delayed at least until March because IBM is selling more computers than it is producing right now.
Recent layoffs at IBM plants across the country apparently came before the corporation realized its computer sales had taken off.
"They were twice as much as they had anticipated, compared to their previous quarters," Larenda Page, a teacher at the school, told its board Tuesday. "They laid off the people who used to make the computers, and now they're way behind and they don't have anybody to make them."
As far as the regional school is concerned, it merely will postpone the spending of money earmarked for the new computers and allow the school to keep the free computers IBM loaned last year on a trial basis a little longer.
The school, which has 29 juniors and 40 seniors attending a half-day from their home counties, already is recruiting students for the 1993-94 year. Pat Duncan, the school's director, began visiting schools last month.
Open houses for parents and prospective students wanting information about the school are scheduled for the next two Thursdays at 7 p.m. Completed applications are due by March.
Governors' schools throughout Virginia are working together to seek a grant which, if approved, would give each of them $30,000 for in-service programs for teachers in their service areas.
The program at New River would deal with integrating telecommunications technology into classrooms, Duncan said. The Roanoke school would offer a program on technology and mathematics.
"Each governor's school will be doing a different thing," Duncan said. The grant is being prepared at the Lynchburg school and, if successful, would allow New River to hire another staff member to carry out the in-service teacher training.
Memo: ***CORRECTION***

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB