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

DATE: SATURDAY, May 13, 1995                   TAG: 9505170040
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: RICHARD FOSTER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

BEDFORD COUNTY BOOSTS SCHOOL BUDGET $2.6 MILLION

Bedford County's School Board and Board of Supervisors approved extra money this week for construction of schools, pay raises for teachers and a slight budget increase for the county school system.

The school system's budget for next year is $43 million - $2.6 million more than this year. It includes a 3 percent raise for teachers, which boosts starting salaries from $24,177 to $24,800.

Construction bids for four county schools - Montvale Elementary, Staunton River middle and high schools, and Jefferson Forest High School - ran $3 million over budget this year, so the supervisors approved a $4 million loan for the school system.

The remaining $1 million will be applied to architectural planning for upcoming school construction.

"We could've cut the projects down to come into budget, but then we wouldn't be able to give [students and teachers] what they need and want," said John Kent, county superintendent of schools. He blamed the overrun on rising costs of building materials and labor.

by CNB