Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 19, 1994 TAG: 9402210328
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRTV-7 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
It includes a 3 percent salary increase for all personnel, in addition to the 1.25 percent hike pledged this year when teachers got only 1.75 percent of a 3 percent increase implemented this year.
It also includes a 12 percent increase in health insurance premiums covered by the School Board, an upward revision of the supplement scale for coaches and teachers who supervise after-school activities, and a daily instructional planning period for elementary teachers.
Teachers in the 298-member Pulaski County Educational Association asked for a 3.75 percent increase at each step of their salary scale plus career step increases for all those who are eligible. That would amount to an overall 6.3 percent increase for most teachers not already at the top of the salary scale.
Superintendent Bill Asbury went over the proposed budget with the School Board at its meeting Thursday night. Board members will study it over the weekend and hold a workshop on it at 6 p.m. Monday.
The proposed budget would also implement a critical skills program in kindergarten through second grade, a quality schools program in three schools, and a math-science-technology program at Dublin Elementary School.
It would restructure the science program at Pulaski County High School, and provide a computer link between the high school and Southwest Virginia Governor's School.
It would return to a cycle of replacing six school buses per year instead of the current five, buy one extra special education bus, buy a computerized bus-routing system which would save transportation costs, buy more video cameras to help control behavior on buses, train bus mechanics in diesel engineering, cover increased electrical and telephone rates, and put an energy management system in place to reduce energy costs.
Initiatives for next year include funding the first year of a proposed five-year technology plan for the school system, but not from the operational budget. Asbury said some other funding mechanism such as a bond issue would be needed.
Also not covered in the operational budget is money to cover whatever recommendations a task force on school building needs makes in the weeks ahead. Part of the task force's mission is to come up with a financing proposal for whatever it recommends.
All administrators will be required to learn computer use sufficiently to sign onto computer networks and communicate through computers. ``We're requiring much more than to be able to turn on the machine and push a couple of buttons,'' Asbury said, ``and they've got to do it this next year.''
The budget projects getting nearly $1.5 million more from the state next year, a total of more than $15.9 million or 63.8 percent of the budget. Federal support would drop by $85,938 to just over $1 million and account for 4.3 percent.
The proposal envisions the level of county funding staying at this year's figure of more than $7.8 million, which would be 31.5 percent. The remaining 0.4 percent is the $35,000 cost of the locality providing free textbooks as required by the legislature starting next year.
In other business, the board endorsed the Virginia Education Association proposal for changing the state school funding formula, renewed its commitment for 34 student slots at the Governor's School, approved an external diploma program, and presented a plaque to maintenance supervisor Jimmy White who is retiring after 44 years with the school system.
by CNB