Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 19, 1995 TAG: 9506200027
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ROBLEY S. JONES
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Under the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, the commonwealth is eligible for $1,747,392 in first-year funding and $6,831,824 in second-year funding to support its community and state education-improvement efforts. If we subtract 10 percent of those funds for use at the state level for administrative purposes, what could Virginia school divisions do with the remaining funds?
Virginia is currently 37th in the nation in computers per student. We could purchase 4,544 computers for use in Virginia's classrooms.
Teachers, parents and administrators could receive grants for school-based improvement plans. Approximately 775 of Virginia's schools could receive $10,000 grants.
Teachers will need training to implement the new standards of learning being developed by the Board of Education. If $500 per teacher were invested in training, 15,444 teachers could be trained with these funds.
Our governor asserts that we don't need the money, saying the first-year funding is only a penny per child.
However, Virginia has one of the worst problems of educational disparity in the nation. Many of our rural and inner-city schools are in deplorable condition. Allen and Bosher are proposing a tax on Virginia's teachers to make up for Allen's budget cuts to the Department of Education. Each teacher will be asked to pay a new $25 licensure-renewal fee every five years to fund salaries of 13 employees of the Department of Education.
Access to the information highway is being cut for rural students because Virginia cannot afford to continue paying the $650,000 cost of 1-800 lines. Our teachers make $3,180 less than the national average teacher salary, and our per pupil expenditure is $593 below the national average.
We can use the money to improve our schools!
Riley's letter also makes it clear, once again, that if Virginia takes the money and judges that federal intrusion has become excessive, the commonwealth can immediately withdraw from participation with no negative consequence. He also states: ``We have chosen the bold step of operating Goals 2000 without promulgating regulations in order to preserve the maximum amount of flexibility possible for participating states and localities.'' The strings Allen fears are, with apologies to Bob Dylan, cobwebs in the back rooms of his mind.
Forty-seven other states are participating now. If Virginia chooses not to participate, our funds will be divided among participating states. Your tax dollars that should come back to Virginia to help our children will go to 47 other states.
Virginia's children are being used as pawns in a political chess game. Sadly, Allen's stance on this issue is making Virginia a laughingstock across the nation. If Santa came down the chimney of the governor's mansion and left $1,747,392, Allen would call 911 to report the intrusion. The joke is pretty funny, unless you are a Virginian.
Robley S. Jones is president of the Virginia Education Association in Richmond.
by CNB