Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, April 28, 1994                   TAG: 9404280218
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SMALLER SCHOOLS BUDGET RETAINS RAISES

County Administrator Elmer Hodge has recommended that the supervisors provide an increase of $3.3 million in local funds for the schools. That's $800,000 more than he had proposed earlier, but $800,000 less than the School Board had asked for.

If the supervisors approve Hodge's proposal, School Board Chairman Frank Thomas said Wednesday, a planned 3 percent raise for school employees will be saved.

In addition, there will be a pay scale adjustment that will be equal to a 1 percent raise, meaning most employees will receive the equivalent of a 4 percent pay increase.

School Superintendent Bayes Wilson said Wednesday that raises for school employees will be his top priority.

The School Board had asked the supervisors for an additional $1.6 million above the initial allocation of $2.5 million.

Hodge has recommended that the supervisors provide an additional $800,000 and take over a $213,666 increase in school debt service. This means that the local support for schools will increase by 9.7 percent in the next year.

"At the same time, state funding has remained almost level with only a slight increase for the next year,'' Hodge said.

"We really needed the $800,000 because it covers expenses for higher utility bills, emergency repairs and other necessities," Thomas said.

Thomas said the School Board appreciates Hodge's recommendation, but it still will have to make cuts in the $77.3 million budget.

The reductions are expected to be made in instructional equipment, materials, computers, laboratories, postage, workbooks and other educational supplies.

Hodge earlier had proposed that the county and the schools evenly split the projected increase in local tax revenue. He said school officials had agreed to it.

But Supervisor Bob Johnson said there has never been any written agreement on the tax-sharing issue. He suggested that the schools may be getting shortchanged in the revenue-sharing plan.

The school system has 1,800 employees, but its budget is smaller proportionately than the county's general budget, which includes 675 employees.

Johnson said the school system might be worse financially than the county's operations under Hodge. He said teachers' salaries in the county and state are falling further behind the national average.

Johnson said he detects a "we vs. us" attitude about the school system that he believes is inappropriate for the county because everyone should be working together.

"It bothers me that we still see this syndrome. When are we ever going to drop it?'' he asked. "I see it in memos that reinforce the 'we and they' approach."

Chairman Lee Eddy said the school funding problems have been caused mainly by the state because most of the increased state aid for next year will go to poor localities.

"The state did us in. Teachers' salaries are more of a state problem," Eddy said.

Supervisor Harry Nickens said he worries that other county operations may be hampered if the schools get most of the new tax money.

"I am concerned that there is never enough pie for everyone," Nickens said.