Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 25, 1995 TAG: 9501250070
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
``We are not a poor county. I'm embarrassed. If teachers' salaries are our priority, we are not showing it,'' he said Tuesday.
At a joint meeting of the Board of Supervisors, School Board and leaders of Roanoke County Education Association, Johnson said he is particularly chagrined that Salem's salaries are higher than the county's.
When Salem withdrew from the county's school system 10 years ago, the city said it could run a good school system cheaper than the county.
Johnson, a former lobbyist for the Virginia Education Association, said Salem pays higher salaries for teachers even though its overall per-pupil costs are lower than the county's.
Salem's salaries are $1,500 to $3,600 higher than the county's, depending on the years of service.
The average salary for the county's teachers is $35,205 - nearly $1,000 above the state average, but $1,850 below the national average.
Jerry Hardy, director of budget and data management for county schools, said it would cost $2.1 million to raise the county's salaries to the national average.
Roanoke County has higher salaries in most categories than Roanoke. But Roanoke is in the midst of a three-year plan to raise salaries.
The county teachers told the supervisors that they have been losing ground in buying power because the rate of inflation has been higher than their pay raises.
Allyn Mitchell, a member of the RCEA salary committee, said the teachers want the School Board to eliminate inequities and large gaps in the pay scale.
Mitchell said teachers near the middle of the scale are being treated unfairly. A 15-year teacher, for example, makes $4,800 more than a first-year teacher, but $6,375 less than a 20-year teacher.
She said the scale should be indexed so the dollar amounts between steps increase with experience. The county also needs to add another longevity pay raise for teachers with 25 years of experience.
Chairman Frank Thomas said he hopes the School Board can address some of the issues the teachers have raised, but that will depend on the available funds.
The school division hopes to receive an increase of $750,000 in state funds. And it hopes to receive an increase of $2.1 million in local funds, based on preliminary revenue projections.
County tax revenues are projected to increase by $4.2 million in the next year, and the schools hope to get half that money.
"We have lost some teachers because of salaries," said Berkley Lucas, personnel director for Roanoke County schools.
by CNB