Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 17, 1994 TAG: 9411170116
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A coalition of mostly rural schools is working quietly to build more financial support for the state's poorest school divisions.
During the upcoming General Assembly session, the coalition will take its case for state money to legislators and Gov. George Allen.
"We want to keep what we have and to continue the momentum," said Ken Walker, chairman of the Coalition for Equity in Educational Funding.
The General Assembly provided $103million this year to help reduce the gap between rich and poor school systems for the next two years, but there is no assurance that the money will be continued after two years.
"We don't want to lose the money we have," Walker said. ``We want to get some more.''
During the past six months, the coalition has been working on lobbying strategies as the disparity battle has shifted from the courtroom to the legislative halls.
In April, in response to a lawsuit by the coalition, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the state's school funding formula is constitutional.
Walker said Wednesday that coalition leaders know it's unlikely that the legislature will provide a major infusion of new funds during its next session, because the state is in the middle of its biennial budget and the legislators will be in session for only 30 days.
Walker said the coalition is looking ahead to the 1996 session, when a new budget will be approved and legislators will be in Richmond for 60 days. Allen will submit a new budget that year.
"That is when we plan to make a big push to get more money," said Walker, school superintendent for South Boston and Halifax County.
Del. Richard Cranwell, D-Roanoke County and the House majority leader, said Wednesday that he will try during the upcoming session to get legislation passed to ensure that the disparity money will continue beyond two years.
Allen vetoed a bill by Cranwell that would have continued the money, mandated small classes in the lower elementary grades and required parents to help discipline their children. Allen said he vetoed it because it was an unfunded mandate, but Cranwell disagreed, saying the education bill was no more an unfunded mandate than other education legislation.
The disparity funds have provided several hundred thousand dollars to school divisions in Western Virginia and more than $2million to Roanoke.
To receive the money, school divisions must reduce class sizes in kindergarten through third grade in schools with large numbers of at-risk children, based on the number of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.
Some school divisions plan to make their own cases to the General Assembly for more money, apart from the coalition's efforts.
The Roanoke School Board said the disparity funds over the next two years will help, but more money is needed to provide for smaller classes in the upper elementary grades and to extend educational technology funding to elementary schools.
On the other hand, Roanoke County and some other localities believe they were shortchanged in the disparity funding. Roanoke County will receive about $325,000 - far less than Roanoke.
County school administrators said the current funding formula penalizes school systems that provide low student-teacher ratios and exceed minimum standards.
by CNB