Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 9, 1993 TAG: 9311090258
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
In mid-January the 41 members are scheduled to make their recommendations to the joint commission that recommended the task force approach.
The task force is scheduled to continue its discussions this evening at 7 at the Vocational Building of Pulaski County High School.
The task force includes: 11 parents; 11 educators, representing the county's 11 schools; four business and professional people recommended by the Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce; five individuals recommended by the Pulaski County Ministerial Association, School Business Council, NAACP, Office on Aging and Pulaski County Education Association; and 10 at-large members recommended by the joint commission.
``It didn't take long to realize we needed a broader segment of our population involved,'' said Superintendent William Asbury.
Asbury had been on the joint School Board-Board of Supervisors commission that started looking into building needs along with Associate Superintendent Phyllis Bishop, School Board Chairman Ron Chaffin, Supervisors Chairman Jerry White, Supervisors Bruce Fariss and Lewis Pratt and County Administrator Joe Morgan.
There is no guarantee that the School Board and Board of Supervisors will accept the recommendations of the task force. But Asbury noted that, with the effort that has been made to involve a cross section of the county in the process, they would be ill-advised not to do so.
Tony Oliveria, regional representative for the Virginia Department of Education, will act as a facilitator at future task force meetings.
The task force is expected to tackle the major issues relating to future school building needs: the loss of about 100 students a year; the corresponding loss of state money which is tied to enrollment numbers; the age of existing buildings and the need to make them better able to house new teaching and learning technologies.
''We know what the problems are,'' Asbury said. ``What we don't know are what are the solutions that are going to take us into the future with a progressive school system?''
Bishop said the student population has decreased since 1977 from 8,173 to 5,238, and the decreases are projected to continue.
Pulaski County recorded the births of 413 children who would now be of kindergarten age, but this year's kindergarten enrollment was only 378, Bishop said, which gives an indication of how many families have moved elsewhere.
The smaller enrollments have not left more classroom space because the size of classes have been reduced, new classes are being offered and the county's educational program enhanced, Bishop said. ``Every inch of space is being used.''
Jefferson Elementary closed last June, but Chaffin told the task force that the joint committee had targeted no other closings.
``We do not have any hidden agenda. We do not have any school closings whatsoever. We are starting with a clean slate,'' Chaffin said. ``But, remember, the bottom line is how we can provide the best education for our children.''
State funding, which is issued on a per-student basis, has dropped along with enrollments. Even if a suit against the state by a coalition of rural school systems to end funding disparities eventually succeeds, White said, it will be years away and should not figure in the task force's recommendations.
The county has had to make up for lost state funding, but can come nowhere near making up all of it. Pulaski County is ranked 102nd among 133 state school divisions in its ability to pay, but its local contribution ranks 54th out of 133.
Pulaski County High and Critzer Elementary are 20 years old, while Dublin Elementary is 25 years old. The ages of the other schools range from 40 to 44 years.
Older buildings require more maintainance as roofs, heating systems and other things wear out, Asbury noted. Climate-controlled classrooms and other facilities are needed to house sensitive teaching tools like computers, and those are more difficult to build into older schools.
Morgan presented statistics showing the rising median age of the county, and income losses as plants have closed or scaled back. ``In summary, we're old, poor and out of money,'' he said.
Asbury expressed confidence in the county's ability to turn these problems into opportunities.
``I think it's going to turn the corner. I feel very positive about that,'' he said. ``This community cares about its kids and it has a lot of spunk.''
He said the first questions of potential new residents or those considering new plant sites usually involve schools.
``Education is the cornerstone,'' he said. ``This is going to be a working committee, and it will have a profound impact on the future of our county.''
by CNB