Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 23, 1994 TAG: 9404250150
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Allen accused Democrats in the House of Delegates of playing politics with the disparity issue and imposing costly new obligations on localities by mandating class sizes in schools.
"The House of Delegates defied both me and the bipartisan membership of the Senate by insisting upon an unfunded class-size mandate as part of the educational disparity funding bill," Allen said at a news conference at Westside Elementary School in Roanoke.
By vetoing the bill, Allen said he is keeping his campaign pledge to reject unfunded mandates and hidden taxes.
Allen's veto would not affect the $103 million in disparity funding for school divisions in the next two years because the money already is included in the 1994-1996 budget.
It could affect disparity funds beginning in 1996, but Allen sought to ease the concerns of localities by saying he will introduce legislation to ensure that funding remains in place after 1996 - if localities pay their shares.
Allen opposes the mandated class sizes and other mandatory features of the disparity legislation.
Del. Richard Cranwell, D-Roanoke County, reacted sharply, saying the governor is the one who is playing politics.
"This is no more an unfunded mandate than any education bill that he signs," said Cranwell, the House majority leader. "It is amazing that he would accuse us of politics. I have been working on this for seven years."
Under the bills, districts where disparity funds are spent would have to reduce class sizes to no more than 18 or 20 students, depending on the number of at-risk children in kindergarten through third grade.
Beginning in 1996-1997, all school districts would have to reduce class sizes to no more than 22 children in kindergarten through third grade.
Cranwell said class size is one of the keys to a better education for at-risk children. Smaller classes enable teachers to give more individual attention to the children, he said.
"We thought it was time to put student-teacher ratios into the legislation. We aren't going to catch up to German and Japanese students unless we have smaller classes."
Cranwell said Allen's decision would hurt children in Southwest and Southside Virginia.
Earlier this week, the Senate approved Allen's amendment that would have eliminated the unfunded mandate portion of the disparity bills.
The House rejected Allen's amendment, but fell four votes short of the margin needed to override a veto. Cranwell said 10 House Republicans joined with 52 Democrats on the issue. "It was not just the Democrats," he said.
Allen sharply attacked the Democrats, but he did not mention anyone by name.
"There are still a lot of politicians who come to Richmond and pass laws taking rights and prerogatives away from localities while at the same time imposing expensive new obligations on localities," Allen said.
"The people of Virginia want it to stop. And we're taking further action today to stop it."
State Sen. Brandon Bell, R-Roanoke County, and several other Republican legislators attended the news conference Friday.
Bell said the House Democrats are trying to tie Allen's hands by mandating student-teacher ratios after 1996.
"He doesn't want to be locked in on mandates before he knows what the revenues will be," Bell said. Bell said some school systems might want to spend the disparity funds for things other than smaller classes.
Allen said he is committed to providing disparity funds to poorer school divisions, but he wants them to assume their share of the cost of programs to close the spending gap.
"There are still some people who think that Big Brother in Richmond knows best, but I don't want to take away the rights of the localities," Allen said.
But Cranwell said Allen is trying to convert the disparity problem into a political issue by linking it to unpopular unfunded mandates.
"I think he is trying to pay lip service to a campaign promise he made on unfunded mandates," Cranwell said.
by CNB