Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 25, 1995 TAG: 9503290006
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MELISSA DeVAUGHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
There also will be hundreds of paper dolls, colored by the children and inscribed by the parents. Each doll represents one child, and the messages represent the wishes of the parents.
"Overall, [parents] like the school system, but they're scared about the budget," Chris Vining, Margaret Beeks PTA president, said last week. "And most of them say they are willing to pay higher taxes to support the school budget."
Last week, the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors advertised a 5-cent real estate tax increase, which if approved, would still leave the school budget $1 million short of its requested $49.3 million. A fully funded school budget for 1995-1996 would require nearly a 10-cent tax increase.
However, the chances of even the 5-cent increase reaching fruition are slim. With November elections looming large, supervisors have not shown support for such an increase.
"At the PTA meeting, we all agreed that there will probably be a large group who don't want any tax increase at all," Vining said. The Board of Supervisors can reduce or eliminate a tax increase but can't go above the already advertised 5-cent increase.
"We'll just have to try and get people out" who do support the highest possible increase, Vining said.
The Paper Doll campaign is a unified effort by all 13 elementary school PTAs to get parents and children involved in the budget process. Speakers on behalf of the school system plan to display the dolls so all the supervisors can read the messages sent by the parents and children.
The hearing will be held Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Christiansburg High School's auditorium.
by CNB