Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 15, 1994 TAG: 9402150043
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Ray Reed
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A: Those ads are financed with federal grants for magnet schools and with air time, production services and discounts provided by local media.
The ads have no relation to school allotments, which are decided by state and local governments.
The advertising dollars break down this way: $15,300 for TV, $7,600 for radio and $3,900 for newspaper. Dick Kelley, executive for business affairs of the city schools, estimates the time and services donated by the media matched the dollars actually spent for advertising.
This question keeps coming up, regardless of how many times it's answered. Perhaps, because magnet schools are a relatively new effort, it's almost a reflex to wonder about the cost.
Designed to reduce racial isolation, magnet schools also seek to make education more interesting so children won't drop out or tune out.
As a result of magnet schools, some graduates finish school licensed to fly airplanes. Other students plug into a $2 million multimedia computer system.
Resources like these are meant to be shared, not kept a secret. Nearly $27,000 in advertising is much less than 1 percent of the $7.2 million grant that financed the magnet program at William Fleming and Ruffner schools.
Iced-cable adjustment
Q: When my electricity's off because of storm damage, I obviously don't pay for power I don't use. What about cable TV? Will Cox Cable Roanoke credit me for service I don't get? J.L., Roanoke
A: Yes, says Gretchen Shine, general manager of Cox Cable.
The cable had multiple outages during the ice storm and Cox is not certain exactly who was out of service.
However, "if customers will give us a call at 344-4637, we'll be glad to make an adjustment," Shine said.
Early openings battle
Q: The Senate Education and Health Committee voted 7-6 against allowing schools to open before Labor Day. Who are the seven legislators who voted against it; or more specifically, from what part of the state are they? Are they senators from those areas that have theme parks who are managing to bottle this up? G.G., Christiansburg
A: Wish I had an answer, but that committee vote was not recorded.
It's safe to assume, though, that those seven don't answer to voters who, either as educators or as parents, have to deal with six-day school weeks in the spring.
Local school systems do have the option of asking the state Department of Education to authorize earlier openings because of hardships inflicted by bad weather.
After these two winters, most school systems west of Charlottesville should be able to make a good case for opening schools before Labor Day.
Got a question about something that might affect other people, too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Maybe we can find the answer.
by CNB