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

DATE: TUESDAY, May 18, 1993                   TAG: 9305180073
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-1   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI                                LENGTH: Medium

LETTER WRITERS TO OPPOSE CLOSING SCHOOLS

Pulaski County parents concerned about the possible closing of Newbern Elementary School are pushing for a letter-writing campaign to let state legislators know schools need more state money.

"We know the School Board's in a tough situation," said Dr. Scott Brandau, a parent who presented the board last week with a list of members of the House Appropriations Committee and Senate Finance Committee.

The group made a similar appeal to the county Board of Supervisors Monday night.

The list is being given to the Newbern PTA and other parent-teacher groups in the county, he said.

He said the message should be made clear to gubernatorial candidates passing through the New River Valley "that we're willing to cross party lines."

About 100 people turned out for the board's meeting at Claremont Elementary School and many of them were on hand to support Brandau's comments.

"I don't see any large savings there in closing Newbern. I don't see where Newbern is running an inefficient school," he said. If it is being singled out for closing by its location, he said, "I don't think that's being fair."

Once closed, buildings deteriorate quickly, Brandau said. If population trends change and the county starts adding people, he said, the cost of reopening a school would be tremendous.

"We don't want to close any of our schools," said board Chairman Ron Chaffin. "But we took an oath to make the hard decisions. We'll just have to look at the whole picture."

He said the county has been losing about 100 students annually in recent years, the equivalent of a small elementary school. A special task force with representatives from all county schools is planned to look at the overall educational situation and make recommendations to the School Board and Board of Supervisors.

"What I'm saying is, no decision has been made," Chaffin said. "We're not against you at all. We're going to try to work together."

Public hearings would be held before decisions are made on closing any school, he said. Newbern has an enrollment of about 140.

Jefferson Elementary, the county's oldest school, will close at the end of the school year.

by CNB