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

DATE: SATURDAY, May 14, 1994                   TAG: 9405160156
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: New River Valley bureau
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SCHOOL-FUNDING GROUP TO PONDER ITS FUTURE

The coalition of 34 school divisions lost its suit to force the state to equalize funding among urban and small or rural school divisions when the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the existing funding formula meets state constitution guidelines.

``The Supreme Court decision didn't say there wasn't any disparity. In fact, it said there was,'' said Pulaski County Superintendent Bill Asbury. The court also said, however, that it was up to the General Assembly to address it.

Asbury said coalition representatives are debating whether the organization should continue to exist to represent rural and small school systems around the state, or simply disband.

It still has money left that it raised from participating localities for its court case, he said. That could either be returned to the localities or used to sponsor speakers and maybe even hire a lobbyist, he said.

``There is a coalition of urban schools that do this,'' he said, and the smaller rural schools need representation in Richmond, too.

Members of the Pulaski County School Board seemed to agree Thursday night. While they were reluctant to send more money to the coalition, they did hope the organization would keep the pressure on state legislators not to forget the disparity problem.

Asbury said Pulaski County will get more state money in the coming year than it has in four years. He attributed the increase in state funds to school systems such as Pulaski County's to the coalition's efforts to focus attention on disparities.