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

DATE: TUESDAY, January 5, 1995                   TAG: 9501050038
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-1   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: MELISSA DeVAUGHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

SURPRISE! TEACHERS GET RAISES

Teachers and other full-time employees in Montgomery County Schools will enjoy a midyear salary increase which amounts to a lump sum of $185 per employee this year, and a percentage increase in subsequent years, but some School Board members say the money could have been used for other school necessities.

Superintendent Herman Bartlett proposed the salary increase in response to a $370 annual pay raise the Board of Supervisors gave its 140 county employees last December. The money will come from $339,000 gleaned from a salaries and benefits budget in the School Board account.

"This increase will only go to employees below the administrative line," Bartlett said Tuesday. "I believe that is a fair adjudication of this money."

While all nine of the School Board members agreed that teachers deserve the pay increase (teachers were not granted the pay increase the School Board originally asked for in this year's budget), two board members questioned where the money came from for such a payment.

"When did you know we saved the $339,000?" asked board member Annette Perkins. "I have no problem with the raise at all, but what I do have a problem with is that we had $339,000 and I was under the impression we didn't have any more money for teachers. I have ethical questions about that."

Bartlett was offended by the remark and told Perkins to "leave that impression publicly is a horrible thing to do."

The money, he and Finance Director Dan Morris said, was discovered during budget preparations in December. It is not uncommon to have end-of-the-year windfalls, he said.

"As I view it, you now have a knee-jerk reaction where if by-golly, we give the county the raise, we will give our teachers some money, too," said board member Dick Edwards. "I gotta tell you, there's something wrong here."

Board member Bob Goncz said he recalled past years when the schools found themselves in similar situations at the end of the year, as budgets are balanced.

"It doesn't seem too unusual to me," he said. "But this money was usually used as a sort of a buffer, and my only question, is: Is it smart to use this buffer?" for pay increases.

After the heated debate, board members unanimously passed the proposal. Teachers will receive their one-time payments later this month or in February.

by CNB