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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 31, 1994                   TAG: 9409010063
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-8   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: By MELISSA DeVAUGHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

MONTGOMERY HOMEWORK HOT LINE ALMOST A REALITY

Local businesses and organizations in Montgomery County have donated close to $35,000 to install the nation's first countywide homework hot line.

At a news conference Tuesday, representatives from Tele-Works, Inc., the Blacksburg-based communications company that developed the system, demonstrated the hot line and answered questions from teachers and community members. The system is being supplied by Tele-Works for $55,000 - a fraction of its retail cost.

"I think the system is a wonderful thing for the school system to have, and it will really open lines for communication," said Larry Linkous, chairman of the county's Board of Supervisors. "The financial support says a whole lot about this business community; it is so beneficial to businesses and schools to have this partnership and I think businesses are realizing it must continue."

First National Bank, the National Bank of Blacksburg, Wades Supermarkets, Inc., Gerald Duncan of Holiday Motors and Montgomery Regional Hospital are among the project's major contributors. Later in the fall, Wades plans to raise even more money by donating a portion of cash register receipts to the project.

The hot line, called the Montgomery County Home-School Communications System, is a series of phone lines that will be installed at all 19 schools in the county by late fall. Students will use personal identification numbers to obtain recorded messages that list their homework assignments. Parents can use the system to hear messages specifically designed for them. The system also can be coded to call parents, reminding them of upcoming events or special recognitions.

The system comes as a victory to advocates of the Focus 2006 Strategic Planning Commission, who cited a need for improved communication and recommended a similar homework hot line in its final report to the School Board last year.

"I think [the community support] has been fantastic," said Steve Critchfield, president of Tele-Works, Inc. "Once people understand what it's about, they open up their wallets."

by CNB