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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 3, 1995                   TAG: 9505030039
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

BOARD FOCUSES ON PAY

"This board is united on higher objectives. To attract the best-qualified staff and teachers, we need to be competitive on a national level," said John Saunders, a board member.

Saunders told City Council on Tuesday that much attention was focused this year on a comparison of Roanoke and Roanoke County salaries, but the board is not satisfied with making salaries equal to the county's.

The city gave average raises of 4.7 percent this year, boosting the salaries of some teachers above their counterparts in the county. Some other salaries remain below those in the county, however.

The board met with council to review the proposed $77.6 million school budget that has been fully funded in City Manager Bob Herbert's budget.

Councilman William White said council wants teachers' salaries to remain competitive. But the city provides better hospitalization insurance and other fringe benefits than do some nearby school systems, he said.

Councilwoman Linda Wyatt agreed that the city has good fringe benefits for teachers, but she said city teachers have a tougher job than in the county because they are working in an urban school system with more problems and pressures.

"You need to factor in the difficulty of the job in considering salaries," said Wyatt, a teacher herself.

Board member Charles Day said the salary increases will put Roanoke in the top 25 school systems in the state in beginning pay and above the state median for veteran teachers.

School Board members said the salaries for principals are being raised to bring them in line with those in the county.

Councilman Mac McCadden said that could create morale problems if all teachers' salaries are not increased to match those in the county.

McCadden said he believes smaller classes are needed in schools with average students, not just in schools with high achievers.

Board Chairman Nelson Harris said the average class size is 19.2 students in all schools - and it is 18 or fewer in some elementary schools with high concentrations of children from low-income families that receive state disparity funds.

Board member Marsha Ellison said Roanoke will participate in incentive programs to reduce primary class sizes, get 4-year-old children prepared for school and provide homework assistance. She said the state will provide $90,000 for the preschool program; the city, $75,000; and the schools, $75,000. It will serve 90 children.

Superintendent Wayne Harris said that getting 4-year-olds ready for school is one of the goals in the city's project in the Southern Regional Education Board's leadership academy.

The other goals are reducing the dropout rate and closing the gap between black and white students in scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.

The Roanoke school system recently received a $75,000 grant to participate in the academy for the next four years.