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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 10, 1994                   TAG: 9408100082
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C1   EDITION: METRO  
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

CITY'S PER-PUPIL COST ABOVE STATE AVERAGE

The largest cost was $3,967 for instructional services, which included teachers, instructional supplies and related classroom expenses. Other expenses included transportation, food services, utilities and maintenance of school buildings.

The administrative cost for Superintendent Wayne Harris and other school administrators was $144 per pupil.

While critics of public schools often point to high administrative costs, Roanoke's costs are below the state average, according to Richard Kelley, assistant superintendent for operations.

Only 2.7 percent of the city's $71.6 million school budget was spent on administration, compared with a state average of 3 percent, Kelley said.

Briefing the School Board on school finances for the past year, Kelley said the schools ended the year with a fund balance of nearly $800,000. The schools also expect to receive nearly $1.2 million as their share of the city's fund balance.

The school system will have about $2 million to spend on equipment, buildings, technology and maintenance of capital projects, he said.

Roanoke's school enrollment has stabilized at about 12,750, but the city has benefited from an increase in state funding for cities with a high concentration of children from low-income families, Kelley said.

Roanoke received an increase of $3 million in state aid for schools for the fiscal year that began July 1.

With more state aid and an improving local economy, Kelley said the financial outlook for schools is better than it was a few years ago.

The School Board's ability to finance major educational initiatives has been "significantly enhanced " by the city's economic recovery, he said. The reopening of Hotel Roanoke should continue the revitalization of downtown, he said.

While the Roanoke Valley's economy is turning around, he said, some other urban areas in the state are not faring as well. As a result, state sales tax collections are not growing as fast as the valley, and the increase in sales tax revenue for schools statewide is smaller.

Despite tight finances in recent years, he said, Roanoke still ranks 20th among the state's 133 school divisions in average pay. In the past decade, the average pay for city teachers has increased from $23,205 to $33,895.

The salaries for beginning teachers and those with less than 10 years of experience are near the state median.