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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 10, 1995                   TAG: 9505100072
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SCHOOL BUDGET PLAN TAKES A BEATING FROM SUPERVISORS

Several county supervisors blasted the proposal, because it calls for the schools to use $350,000 of a projected year-end surplus to help balance the budget.

"This is spending funny money. We are not taking care of our maintenance needs and our future capital needs," said Supervisor Harry Nickens. "I do not favor the use of year-end surplus funds for anything other than capital items."

If the School Board spends surplus money to balance its budget, Supervisor Bob Johnson said, it won't have the money to buy buses, for example.

Supervisor Lee Eddy said he didn't understand how the plan came about so quickly. The School Board said earlier that it needed an additional $960,000 to balance its budget.

Then late last week, Eddy said, he was told that the deficit had been wiped out and the schools had an additional $440,000 for larger salary raises.

Despite the criticism of the plan, which was fashioned by County Administrator Elmer Hodge and school Superintendent Deanna Gordon, the Board of Supervisors, on a 4-1 vote, made a "moral commitment" to support it. Eddy was the dissenter.

The supervisors couldn't take a formal vote at the budget work session because the plan hadn't been legally advertised for a required public hearing. That hearing will be held May 23.

Johnson said Hodge has told the supervisors in the past that it is bad budget practice to use surplus funds to help balance a budget. But Hodge said that is not necessarily so. Johnson accused Hodge of changing his position on surpluses.

Hodge said he and Gordon had developed the budget plan to provide 4.8 percent pay raises for teachers because the supervisors had said they wanted the county and schools to do more for their employees. The school budget originally had called for 4 percent raises for teachers and other school employees.

School Board Chairman Frank Thomas said his board will take to heart the supervisors' comments on using the year-end funds. Thomas said the board usually gives top priority to buying buses with surplus funds. He said that, after balancing its budget, the board will have $400,000 to $600,000 left for buses and other items.