Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 22, 1994 TAG: 9407220141
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
When the School Board knows whether there will be a bond referendum for schools in November and the size of the bond issue, it will determine how the money will be spent, Chairman Frank Thomas said Thursday night.
Until the board has a definite figure on the bond issue, Thomas said, it cannot make a decision on a new high school.
Next week, the School Board will submit to the supervisors a list of $50 million in building and equipment needs for the next 10 years.
The School Board also has compiled an additional list of $38 million for new facilities, including $23.9 million for a new Cave Spring High School and stadium. The supplemental list also includes $7.5 million for a field house for Northside High School.
School Superintendent Deanna Gordon said there is some overlap in the lists because, for example, some renovations may not be made on older buildings in South County if a new Cave Spring is built. But she said the lists provide an overview of the school system's needs.
Gordon, who prepared the 10-year capital improvements plan with her staff, said it is a comprehensive listing of needed school projects. It includes $12.5 million for computers and other instructional technology.
"After getting the supervisors' reaction, you can prioritize the needs," Gordon told the board members at a work session on the building and equipment needs.
The timing of a new Cave Spring High School arose last month when Supervisor Bob Johnson questioned the wisdom of spending $5 million to renovate the existing Cave Spring Junior High and Cave Spring High.
The School Board had not planned to build a new Cave Spring High for eight to 10 years. Johnson has contended that it would be a waste of money to renovate the existing schools if a new school is going to be constructed.
School officials said a new school could not be finished until 1997 at the earliest, and some renovations would have to be made in the meantime.
Gordon did not make a recommendation on the Cave Spring High issue, but estimated costs are less to renovate the existing school.
The price tag for a new school would be $19.4 million and an additional $4.5 million for a stadium. Renovating and expanding the existing school and a new stadium is estimated at $14 million.
Thomas said it is the School Board's duty to lay out the schools' needs to the supervisors and that is the reason the capital plan includes improvements at every school in the county.
"We will have done our duty when we present this to the supervisors. It will be up to them to decide how much we will get," Thomas said.
The chairman said he is optimistic that the two boards can agree on the funding issues and avoid a confrontation.
Before making a decision on a new high school and school renovations in South County, the School Board needs to seek the views of parents and residents in the area, said member Charlsie Pafford.
"It's not that we don't want a new high school in Cave Spring. It's that we have other school needs," Pafford said. "What we do at one school can affect others - I want to see the whole plan."
Maurice "Buck" Mitchell, vice chairman, said the School Board ought to make the decision on a new high school.
Thomas said he is pleased that the capital improvements plan contains $12.4 million for educational technology. "If there is one area where we are lacking, it is this," he said.
Gordon said the county needs to buy more computers, videotapes and other instructional technology because their use in education has increased dramatically in the past decade.
by CNB