Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 25, 1995 TAG: 9502270031
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It's not by accident.
As part of the strategy for avoiding confrontation over the pay issue, the teachers are letting board members do some of their work.
That's because the teachers are convinced that some board members are interested in pushing for higher salaries, said Gary Waldo, executive director of the Roanoke Education Association.
Roanoke's average teacher salary is $33,722, about $500 below Roanoke County's and nearly $2,000 below Salem's.
Roanoke is in the midst of Harris' three-year plan to make city salaries more competitive with Roanoke County's, but the School Board wants him to try to free up more money for salaries in the next year.
Harris has recommended an average pay raise of 4.25 percent for teachers for next year.
When the superintendent made his recommendations, the teachers urged more, but they have stayed in the background in the past two weeks as the board held a public hearing and workshop on the budget.
"Our concern is that the city needs to come up with raises that close the gaps with other localities," Waldo said. "We feel there are some School Board members who are committed" to doing that.
Politically, it wouldn't be smart to have a confrontation with the board now.
Waldo said he is convinced that board member John Saunders wants to boost city salaries, although the board rejected his proposal to cut cleaning and custodial costs to free money for salaries.
Chairman Nelson Harris said the board is committed to competitive pay for teachers and has asked Harris for budget adjustments to provide more salary money.
Waldo said the Education Association has contacted City Council members about the need for more teacher salary money. Vice Mayor John Edwards and Linda Wyatt, a teacher, have shown the most interest, Waldo said.
"We will see how it comes out in the paychecks. We don't see how the pay gaps can be closed just by giving the same level of raises as other localities," Waldo said.
Roanoke teachers say they deserve higher pay than their counterparts in surrounding localities because they face more stress and tougher job demands. In Roanoke, they say, there is a greater threat of violence, a higher rate of teen-age pregnancy, a high dropout rate and other societal ills.
The School Board also has approved a two-year plan to make elementary principals' salaries comparable to those in the county. City elementary principals are paid $2,000 to $5,000 less than those in the county, depending on the size of the school.
by CNB