Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 3, 1993 TAG: 9302030246
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
CITY SCHOOL BOARD WEIGHS PAY RAISES
Roanoke schools' spending plan for the 1993-94 school year includes a proposal to raise teacher salaries.But exactly how much rests with the state and local revenue pictures, said Richard Kelley, executive for business affairs for Roanoke schools.
"It's a little difficult to project at this time, given the present economic situation," Kelley said. He expected firmer revenue figures from the state toward the end of the month and from the city next week.
Kelley presented the proposed budget to the School Board on Tuesday, the first step in a monthlong budget-review process.
Kelley put teacher salary raise "expectations" at 2 percent to 4 percent. That is less than what Roanoke teachers had urged. Members of the Roanoke Education Association had suggested increases of 10 percent to 15 percent.
Tuesday, teachers repeated their salary concerns to the board.
"You spend top dollars on equipment and upper-echelon administrators, yet you fall far short of top dollars for your front-line personnel," said Mason Powell, executive vice president of the Roanoke Education Association.
"You should not continue to expect first-class education from employees to whom you pay second-class wages."
Teachers received 3 percent pay raises this school year. Teacher salaries were frozen for the 1991-92 year because of a reduction in state aid and the recession.
Salaries accounted for 83 percent of the current school budget.
Kelley estimated that each percentage-point increase in salaries would cost the school system $485,000. For example, giving school employees 3 percent raises would cost about $1.5 million; 10 percent raises, about $5 million.
The school system is expecting $270,000 more in state funding for the next school year - the second year of the 1992-94 biennium. The system received almost nine times that - $2.3 million - in state funding for the current school year.
Any additional money provided to Roanoke schools by the General Assembly this year likely would be used for teacher salaries, Kelley said. With state budget proposals including nothing for teacher raises, he does not expect that amount to be substantial.
The cost of maintaining the same level of educational services for the next school year will rise by $1.5 million, Kelley said. And as in previous years, the school system is looking to city government to pick up some of the funding slack.
The school system has $3.8 million in budget proposals excluding salary raises. They include some proposals that were carried over from last year's budget process.
One proposal, approved by the board late last year, is to begin phasing in funding for full-time school nurse positions at a rate of four per year beginning with the 1993-94 budget year. The cost would be $123,820 for the next fiscal year.
Other proposals include:
$413,365 to update textbooks, materials and equipment.
$234,530 for enhancement of business and technical education.
$205,700 for the addition of psychologists, elementary guidance counselors and remedial teachers.
$171,250 for reduction of primary-grade class size by one student districtwide over two years by adding primary teachers.
$138,490 to improve staff development.
$60,000 for minority recruiting.
The proposed budget resulted from input from parents, school staff and citizens. A public hearing will be held at the School Board's Feb. 16 meeting. Budget adoption has been scheduled for the March 2 board meeting.