Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 6, 1995 TAG: 9504060060
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium
But the top priority for the Richmond-based organization of state teachers still is fixing funding disparities between rich and poor school districts, said Rob Jones, the VEA's president.
The 110th annual convention, which opens today at the Virginia Beach Pavilion, will draw about 1,400 delegates representing virtually every school in the state.
The three-day meeting will feature addresses by Keith Geiger, president of the National Education Association, and 1994 Teacher of the Year Sandra McBrayer from San Diego.
``I think we've got a huge problem with there being a mismatch between what's actually going on in our schools and the perception of what's going on,'' Jones said. ``Teachers are facing more discipline problems, and - as a general rule - less support from parents.''
Nevertheless, Jones said, test scores indicate that schools are doing a better job of teaching basics such as reading, science and math.
The most recent scores on statewide exams given to fourth-, eighth- and 11th-graders showed improvements in 13 of 20 areas, and the state graduation rate is up to 80 percent, with 75 percent of graduates going on to higher education.
``For those people who say there isn't rigor, 23 percent of juniors and seniors take advanced placement courses,'' Jones said. ``So the rigor is there.''
Still, he said, the public often thinks that teachers are the ones who call the shots in education.
``We're the workers,'' he said. ``We try to have an impact on the decisions, but we're the people that actually work in the schools. We need to do a better job with our external communications.''
The biggest blemish on Virginia schools is in the inner cities and poor rural areas, Jones said.
``If we really want to do something about improving the quality of education, that's where we need to have initiatives that attack the problem of deficient conditions,'' he said.
But schools are too dependent on money from localities, Jones said. He said Virginia ranks 45th in the nation in state support as a percentage of overall funding and 30th in per-pupil spending, although it is 14th in per-capita income.
The idea often voiced by critics of public schools ``that we're throwing a lot of money at education, that's just not true,'' he said.
Jones also said the administration of Gov. George Allen ``has gotten off to a rough start'' with proposed budget and tax cuts, mostly rejected by the General Assembly, that could have cost schools $350 million in revenues.
by CNB