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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 31, 1995                   TAG: 9505310064
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Short

BOARDS TO TALK SCHOOLS

The Montgomery County School Board and Board of Supervisors will talk over a major school building program Wednesday in their first joint meeting in two years.

The boards will meet at 7 p.m. at the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library headquarters, 125 Sheltman St., Christiansburg. Most of the meeting is public, though a closed session is planned to discuss potential school sites.

Early this year, the School Board approved a study that calls for building four new schools over the next five years to keep pace with growth and to replace aging rural school buildings.

In March, school Superintendent Herman Bartlett presented the findings to the supervisors, including a $34 million preliminary price tag for the first phase of the 20-year building program. Several supervisors have since talked about the possibility of a bond referendum to pay for new schools, though there's been no official action.

Wednesday's meeting is designed to seek the supervisors' endorsement of the building study and to talk about school sites.

"What we need to find out is exactly what needs the School Board sees in the immediate future," said supervisors' Chairman Larry Linkous. "If there are plans ... the biggest thing we need to look for is sites."

The plans include a $7 million elementary school in Riner, middle schools in Blacksburg and Christiansburg at $20.6 million and a $6.27 million high school in Shawsville.

by CNB