Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 11, 1994 TAG: 9401110084
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURA WILLIAMSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But at least one of the bills could make things worse, the chairman of a coalition of Virginia's poorest schools said.
Bell plans to introduce a school-voucher bill that would allow poor students to use public money to attend private schools. The plan would allow a student to spend up to 80 percent of the money allocated by the state for that student's public school education.
The program would help inner-city children, often the victims of educational spending gaps, Bell said during a press conference at the Roanoke Municipal Building.
"They're locked into one choice, and one choice only," he said.
But it could make the situation at the public schools those students left even worse, said Ken Walker, superintendent of schools in Halifax and South Boston.
"To divert that money to private schools would increase disparity," Walker said.
Walker is chairman of the Coalition for Equity in Educational Funding, an alliance of inner-city and rural schools which has sued the state for not providing an equal education to all students. The state distributes money to school divisions based on differences in local wealth, but those differences allow some localities to pitch in significantly more of their own money, creating a gap in per-pupil spending of as much as $5,000.
The Virginia Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the suit in February or March.
Rob Jones, president of the Virginia Education Association, saw another problem with Bell's voucher program.
The students Bell wants to target - those who would be eligible for free or reduced lunches - might not be accepted into private schools.
"They're not the kids that [private schools] want to take," Jones said.
The VEA, which represents teachers, opposes any program that spends public money on private schools, Jones said.
The VEA has recommended its own solution to the disparity problem - a proposal to rewrite the state's school-spending formula that would cost an additional $505 million each year.
Bell said he would consider the VEA's proposal, but expects to see a more-gradual shrinking of the school-spending gap through bills such as his own.
Another initiative he will introduce - a 20 percent tax credit for businesses that donate equipment to poor schools - also could help lessen disparities, he said.
Walker said that bill, which passed the Senate but failed in the House last year, could be "a helpful supplement" to poor schools but should not be expected to solve the problem.
"That could be a positive concept," Jones agreed.
Jones cautioned, however, against giving tax credits to companies without carefully monitoring the machinery they donate. If a business offers computer hardware, for example, the school should make sure it donates the appropriate software as well.
"What you don't want to end up with is businesses getting a write-off for something not useful," Jones said.
Bell said he would safeguard against businesses donating obsolete equipment by asking principals to list their technology needs with the state Department of Education. Companies that want to make donations in exchange for the tax credit could call the department to find out what is on the list.
He could not provide a cost estimate Monday for either bill, but said he would place a $5 million cap on tax credits for the donation program's first year.
The voucher program, which would be voluntary for local school districts, would rely mostly on money already being spent by the state, Bell said. Under the plan, students who spent less than 80 percent of their allotted per-pupil expenditure in private tuition could place the money in a "personal education account" for attending college or for work-related training.
Some state money would continue to go to the public school on behalf of that student for administrative purposes, Bell said, but he was not sure how much.
The bills still are being drafted, he said.
Bell, a Republican who represents Roanoke and most of Roanoke County, said he sent copies of his bills to Gov.-elect George Allen but did not know whether the new administration would support them.
Ken Stroupe, a spokesman for Allen's transition team, said Allen would not comment on legislation until it was introduced and he had a chance to study the final version.
Allen has said in the past he supports voucher programs for school divisions that want to develop pilot programs.
by CNB