Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 16, 1994 TAG: 9404180143
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: GLOUCESTER LENGTH: Medium
The school system loaded a message onto its automatic dialing machine asking parents to support the full budget request schools are seeking from the county.
``I think it's a misuse of county equipment,'' said Supervisor Walter C. Jackson Jr. ``It's putting pressure on the parents of school-age children. That system has all their numbers in a computer bank.''
Superintendent J. Larry Hoover said he stopped the solicitations Thursday after complaints arose. He said he is seeking legal guidance on whether the messages can resume.
Hoover and School Board Chairwoman Jean Pugh said a teacher proposed using the autocaller to drum up support for the budget. ``He didn't have any qualms, so I didn't,'' Pugh said.
But the school budget plan is controversial because it seeks more than $12 million in local funds, some of which would go toward a pay raise for teachers.
That amount would require raising the real estate tax rate of 97 cents per $100 of assessed value by 17 cents, said County Administrator William H. Whitley.
Whitley's proposed budget would give the schools $9.5 million and would decrease the real estate tax rate to 93 cents to balance an average increase in revenue from higher assessments.
Hoover said the calling system is used to notify parents of ``all sorts of school-related announcements. We didn't see any difference'' in using it to promote the budget request, he said.
``It's a little self-promoting, and I can understand how it could offend someone. At the same time, I don't think it should surprise anyone that the school system is promoting its own interests,'' he said.
But Supervisor George C. Sterling said he received half a dozen calls from people complaining about the solicitation.
``I can understand how school employees feel, their desire for higher pay, but I don't think this is the way to do it,'' he said.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Burton M. Bland said he was ``not greatly upset about it, one way or the other,'' but that he believed the calls might ``very well tend to backfire.''
Bland said residents ``may object that a machine purchased with public funds should be used to benefit somebody.''
W. Wayne Fox, director of student services, whose office operates the calling system, said the calls soliciting budget support began Monday. The calling machine has a database of 4,400 telephone numbers.
by CNB