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

DATE: SATURDAY, December 17, 1994                   TAG: 9412190045
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: RICK LINDQUIST STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD                                LENGTH: Medium

RADFORD SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER ASKS CHARTER SCHOOL CONSIDERATION

"I'm opposed to charter schools, very much so," he said in prefacing his remarks. However, Effler said if Virginia is going to approve charter schools, then the city should be first in line with its application.

Gov. George Allen's Commission on Champion Schools has recommended the General Assembly approve the charter-school concept, intended to create schools that are largely self-governing. In exchange for their charters, schools would agree to meet certain educational objectives. They would get the same funding public schools now receive and must meet state standards of quality.

"I'm ready to designate every school in our system, based on what I understand," said Guy Gentry, the board's chairman.

Superintendent Michael Wright also was warm to the idea "if the intent is to deregulate public schools and give them the opportunity to be creative," he said. "We certainly would like to see greater flexibility in planning and in otherwise meeting the needs of the students."

Board members also seemed willing to explore the idea further, but Guy Wohlford said he'd like more details first. Chip Craig agreed. "No one has any idea what it is," he said. "It's a concept." Craig called the charter school proposals under discussion in Richmond "unfathomably vague," but said he likes the idea of greater flexibility.

"I would be tickled to death with some deregulation," he said.

Wright agreed to draft a letter to William Bosher, the state's superintendent of public instruction, asking for more information on charter schools and expressing the board's interest, especially in school deregulation.

Craig suggested Wright's letter be clear on one point: "If you want to pilot a program within the existing [school] system, then we're your pilot," he said.

In other matters, the board agreed unanimously to send to City Council approximately $2.7 million in new spending requests for the 1995-96 school year. Council Monday agreed to ask city departments to limit next year's spending to .5 percent above current levels. Wright estimated that would come to $17,900 for the school division.

"There's not a thing in here that's not important," said Effler, who moved to send the budget request to council. "They're not going to fund it all, but I think they need to see it all," he said.

The board's request includes average 3.9 percent salary increases for teachers and other school division employes and $953,400 to add music and art classrooms at Belle Heth Elementary School and classrooms and a gymnasium at McHarg Elementary School. It also contains almost $690,000 for new or improved educational technology, much of that for new computers.

"We absolutely must have the art and music rooms at Belle Heth," Wright said.

Unclear at this point is how the city might pay for some of the capital projects on the board's list. City Council plans to pursue a bond issue - tentatively estimated at $6 million - to pay for several city projects, including improvements to the city's water plant. Council has proposed allocating approximately $1 million of the bond issue for school projects. The School Board and City Council plan to meet in early January to iron out budget priorities.

But the biggest budget unknown remains the level of funding from the state to school divisions. Wright said he's asked the Department of Education to fax him the figures as soon as they're released on Monday.