Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 27, 1993 TAG: 9305270182
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
However, to the dismay of some board members, the budget doesn't include approximately $1.1 million needed to restructure employee salary scales.
The budget was passed Tuesday night 5-3. Board members Don Lacy, David Moore and Annette Perkins voted against the plan because it didn't include funds to fix the salary scales.
"We've talked about fixing this salary scale for several years and haven't done it," Lacy said. "I'm tired of the political talk and game playing."
The majority of the board felt, however, that the price to fix the salary scale was more than the board could afford during a budget crunch.
Lacy said the teacher salary scale is "out of whack" because teachers with less than three years of experience get only $100 more each year while some teachers on the upper end of the scale get raises up to $3,000.
As requested by the General Assembly, this year's budget includes a 3 percent raise for teachers and a 2 percent raise for other school system employees.
The county and state will spilt the $480,000 cost of the raises.
The school system also may get as much as $600,000 later in the year that can be used to fix the salary scale.
The board expects to have about $474,000 left over in the current year's budget that must be returned to the Board of Supervisors, but Ira Long, chairman of the supervisors, has said $307,000 will be given back to schools.
If a proposed merger of the county and school system's finance departments is not completed, school officials also could get back $353,000 that has been set aside for that merger.
The budget also includes $255,000 for a reading program designed to help slow learners.
Next year's budget is slightly over $1 million more than the supervisors gave the schools for this year.
by CNB