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

DATE: THURSDAY, November 3, 1994                   TAG: 9412230091
SECTION: NEIGHBORS                    PAGE: W17   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

MONEY IS BIG ISSUE IN SALEM SCHOOL BOARD REFERENDUM

The campaign has focused on the expense for an elected board if the board ended service agreements with the city and established an independent operation.

Now, the school system relies on the city government for the following services: financial operations, data processing, building maintenance, transportation maintenance and legal services.

The arrangement saves the school system money because it does not have to pay for duplicate services, particularly duplicate overhead costs.

The school referendum had attracted little public attention until recently, when School Board member Walter Franke asked for a report on the estimated cost if an elected board severed service agreements with the city.

School Superintendent Wayne Tripp said it could cost $1.1 million in the first year and $801,440 in subsequent years. The school budget would have to be increased by 4 percent to 6 percent.

An elected School Board could continue the same service arrangements with the city, but there would be no requirement for it to do so.

If an elected board terminated the service agreements, it would have to hire 22 more employees, Tripp said.

The current arrangement saves money for both the School Board and City Council, Tripp said.

The discussion of the referendum on the board-election issue has been mostly one-sided because there has been no organized effort to persuade voters to approve the switch to an elected board.

The opponents are organized.

Retired Superintendent Walter Hunt heads community leaders and retired educators who oppose an elected board. The group is distributing brochures to every household in the city, urging voters to keep the current system of City Council appointing board members.

The opponents will spend about $2,000 in their campaign to prevent changing to an elected board, Hunt said.

Hunt said he fears that an elected board might be more political- and independent-minded, making confrontation between the board and City Council more likely.

The current School Board has a close working relationship with City Council.

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

Roanoke County voters will choose three elected members next week. Roanoke has not had a referendum because a citizens' group failed to collect the signatures of 10 percent of the registered voters.

Most nearby counties have approved elected school boards, but they won't begin electing members until next week.

In Salem, the issue was put on the ballot because of the Virginia Referendum Advocates, a group that collected the signatures of more than 10 percent of the registered voters.

The referendum group has not taken a position on the board-election issue, but some people who collected signatures support a change. Neither the School Board nor City Council has taken a stand.

Regardless of the outcome of the referendum, Franke said he hopes that the school system can continue to work with the city and save money for taxpayers.

Money likely would be an issue in School Board politics because an elected board would have no taxing authority. School Board members who were elected by promising more funds for schools probably would put more pressure on City Council to provide the money. That could cause a confrontation.

"That is one of the things that could happen," Hunt said.