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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 19, 1994                   TAG: 9410190078
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD COULD ADD COSTS

The Salem School Board has asked Superintendent Wayne Tripp for a report on the cost for an elected board to provide its own departments for finances, building and grounds maintainence, transportation and several other services.

An elected board also might have to hire its own attorney, because City Attorney Steve Yost could not represent the board if it got into a legal conflict with City Council or other departments. Yost said that would be a conflict of interest.

Salem voters will decide Nov. 8 whether they want to change the method of choosing board members, who are now appointed by council.

An elected board could keep the cooperative agreements with other departments, but there would be no requirement for it to do so.

Board member Walter Franke said Tuesday that, before Election Day, Salem voters need to have the financial information on the possible impact of an elected School Board.

At this point, Franke said, he doesn't oppose an elected School Board, but voters need to understand the financial implications. He is the first school official to raise the cost factor publicly.

Tripp didn't have an immediate cost estimate, but he said it would be substantial. He said it could involve a dozen employees and include duplicated costs for several services.

The costs could include both capital expenses and operational funds, Tripp said. He promised to have the report by next week.

Until now, the school referendum has sparked little public controversy, but Tripp's report could create more discussion.

The Virginia Referendum Advocates, a Salem-based group, headed the petition drive to get the question on the ballot. They collected signatures of 1,400 voters, nearly 200 more than the required 10 percent of the registered voters.

Roanoke County voted to switch to an elected School Board last year and will elect three members next month. Several nearby counties also have changed to elected boards; the city of Roanoke hasn't.

Franke said that Salem can pay its teachers well and still maintain a low per-pupil cost for education because the school system saves so much money through its cooperative services with the city.

An elected board could keep the current arrangement, he said, but there is no guarantee it would.

"I would hope that we could retain the same efficiencies, but the voters need to know what could happen" if an elected board ended the current arrangement, Franke said. "We don't have duplicated services, like many school systems."

Salem Finance Director Frank Turk is the chief financial officer for both council and the board.

In Roanoke and Roanoke County, there is cooperation between the school systems and other governmental departments, but it is not as extensive as Salem's.

An elected board would not have the power of taxation and would have to depend on the local governing body to provide funds for schools, the same arrangement as the current system.