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

DATE: TUESDAY, February 14, 1995                   TAG: 9502240008
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-8   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Medium

SCHOOL BOARDS ADDRESS ISSUES BEFORE ASSEMBLY

School Board members from Montgomery and Pulaski counties and the city of Radford are among those in Richmond this week to speak on legislative issues they believe could affect area school budgets. The trip is part of the Virginia School Boards Association's "Day at the Capitol" legislative conference.

Some of the issues concerning Virginia School Boards Association members include:

Binding arbitration - the association opposes this initiative which would remove the authority of local school boards to fire teachers.

Academic standards - the association supports raising Virginia's Standards of Learning from guidelines to regulations, if the state is willing to help pay for such a mandate. Otherwise, board members would oppose this legislation.

Safe schools - supported by board members, this effort would increase safety standards in all schools.

Disparity funding for kindergarten through third grade - Board members support state funding for reducing class size, helping at-risk children and improving technology at the lower grade levels.

Other issues - considered dead for this General Assembly session after they were killed in the Senate - are family life education and charter schools. The Charter School concept of using public funds to operate privately run schools, will undergo a yearlong study and be up for scrutiny again next year.

Montgomery County Superintendent Herman Bartlett and School Board Chairman Roy Vickers, along with other board members, plan to meet with Del. Jim Shuler, D-Blacksburg, Del. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, and Sen. Madison Marye, D-Shawsville, to implore them to address these issues, and also to restore funding to many programs Gov. George Allen has cut.

One of those programs is a maintenance fund, which supplies money to localities for school building repairs and other improvements. Montgomery County currently receives $85,663 from the state and would receive no new money under Allen's proposal.

Radford School Board members Chip Craig, Chris Strange and Carter Effler accompanied Superintendent Michael Wright to the capital. Chairman Guy Gentry, who did not make the trip, said the four hope to meet with Del. Tommy Baker, R-Pulaski County, and Sen. Malfourd "Bo" Trumbo, R-Fincastle, to "try to protect our interests."

Pulaski County's contingent only attended Monday's session. The group included School Board Chairman Ron Chaffin, Vice Chairman Dr. Nathaniel Tuck and Lewis Pratt.

Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1995

by CNB