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

DATE: THURSDAY, May 5, 1994                   TAG: 9405050170
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

COUNCIL, SCHOOLS IN HARMONY

Herbert is doing volunteer work at the school near the Lincoln Terrace housing complex.

Members of the city manager's senior staff also read, tutor or do whatever they can to help the Lincoln Terrace students for one or two hours a week.

Herbert said Wednesday he hopes the volunteer work will help him and his staff get a better understanding of the school system's needs.

Lincoln Terrace has some needs that don't exist at schools in more affluent neighborhoods, Herbert said.

Some private businesses are providing volunteers for similar work with students at other schools. Shenandoah Life Insurance Co. employees work with Hurt Park Elementary School, for example.

"Since businesses are doing this, we felt the city's senior staff should offer the same help," Herbert said.

He told City Council and the School Board at a joint meeting that contact with the school and students should make his staff more sensitive to the needs of city schools.

But he doesn't have to worry this year about complaints that he has shortchanged the schools or cut the school budget.

School Superintendent Wayne Harris and board members thanked Herbert for fully funding the schools' $73.4 million budget and providing an additional $160,000. The budget is up 5.9 percent or $4.2 million - with state money making up three-fourths of that.

Meeting to review the school budget, council and board members spent most of the time praising each other.

Mayor David Bowers said relations between the board and council are better than they have been in many years.

Board Chairman Charles Day said council's willingness to provide the needed funds has made the board's job easier.

Teachers will receive an average pay raise of 4.6 percent. Nonprofessional school employees will get 4 percent raises, and administrators will receive 3.4 percent raises.

Board member Finn Pincus said class sizes in the city's primary grades will be reduced next year because the city will receive $1.1 million in disparity funds to hire 25 additional teachers.

The student-teacher ratio will be 18-to-1 in kindergarten through grade three in schools where more than 50 percent of the students are eligible for free lunches. For schools with 25 to 50 percent of the students receiving free lunches, the ratio will be 20-to-1.

Board member Wendy O'Neil said the budget includes $335,000 for technology equipment and training. Unless the schools remain on the cutting edge of technology, she said, the disparity gap between school systems will widen.

Harris said his first budget has gone smoothly - like every superintendent's dream.

Councilman John Edwards said he hopes the city can do a better job of promoting and marketing its school system. Some people have the perception that Roanoke County schools are better than the city's, he said.

Edwards said he has visited many schools since he was appointed to council last fall, and he's impressed with what he has seen, especially in the magnet schools.