Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, September 5, 1995 TAG: 9509050009
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The Cave Spring High School principal won't take sides in the coming debate about a new high school and other school needs in Southwest Roanoke County.
As head of a committee studying the school issues, Cobble said, it's not her role to advance any position. But she wants to hear others' views.
A new high school, once thought to be virtually assured, is no longer a certainty.
Its fate hinges heavily on the wishes of county residents, especially those in the area served by Cave Spring High.
A year ago, the county was headed toward the construction of a new school to replace the aging and crowded building, which is in the middle of a residential neighborhood:
The School Board had bought a possible site for a new school, which has been estimated to cost as much as $20 million. The site is on Merriman Road Southwest near Penn Forest Elementary School.
The Board of Supervisors had approved $1.5 million for architectural and engineering fees for a school that would house up to 2,000 students.
And there was talk that a referendum probably would be held this year on a bond issue to pay for the new school.
Now that plan is on hold.
The new school still might be built, but not until after students, parents and others voice their opinions.
School officials will hold two meetings on the high school and other school needs in the southwest part of the county.
The first will be Monday at 7 p.m. in the Cave Spring High School cafeteria, and the second will be Oct. 9.
At the first session, participants will hear background information on school needs and will be asked to complete a questionnaire. At the October meeting, they will be asked to consider alternatives for meeting those needs.
The school system had been planning to build a single new high school until March, when county Supervisor Lee Eddy said the School Board should study all alternatives - including the possibility of two smaller high schools - before constructing a $20 million building.
Eddy said one alternative would be for the county to keep using Cave Spring High and remodel Hidden Valley Junior High or Cave Spring Junior High for a second high school. That would require the construction of a new middle school.
Another option would be to keep using Cave Spring High, build a new 1,000-student high school and use Hidden Valley Junior and Cave Spring Junior as middle schools.
The two junior highs teach students in grades 7 through 9. As middle schools, they would teach children in grades 6 through 8.
Eddy said there are six options for using the existing school buildings in the southwest part of the county.
Many factors would have to be considered in addition to the capacity of the buildings, he said: their suitability for academic programs, neighborhood impact, parking, operating costs and the quality of education in a larger vs. smaller school.
School officials said the high school issue is linked to other school needs in Southwest Roanoke County.
Cave Spring High has about 1,230 students in grades 10 through 12. It does not house ninth-graders because there is no space for them; they attend Cave Spring Junior High and Hidden Valley Junior High.
Cave Spring High is one of only about a dozen high schools in Virginia that do not house ninth-graders. School officials said it would be difficult to expand the school because of its design and location; it is surrounded by residences.
Cave Spring Junior is overcrowded and will require major renovation if the county keeps using it. Earlier proposals called for it to be closed after a new high school was built.
If ninth-graders were moved to Cave Spring High, the school would have nearly 1,700 students - about the same as Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke.
Consultants have been hired by the School Board to study the school needs, but they want to hear from the residents before making recommendations.
"We want to get feedback from the community on what it wants. A lot of improvements are needed and the consultants are looking at alternatives," said Marty Robison, executive assistant for county schools.
The consultants' study has included elementary schools, as well as junior high and high schools, because some of them are filled to capacity, he said.
Nearly 40 percent of the county's 13,600 students attend the 10 schools in Southwest Roanoke County.
Robison said the school system wants to get the views of all residents - not just those with children in schools. The support of all taxpayers will be needed if a bond issue is required, he said.
Maurice "Buck" Mitchell, the Cave Spring District member on the School Board, said opinion on the high school issue seems split.
"You've got some people who feel there should be one school, but others favor two schools," he said.
Mitchell said he will wait until residents voice their views and the consultants have finished their study before making up his mind.
"I don't think I should try to influence anyone at this point," he said. "I think the [School Board] should stay out of it until it comes to us for a decision."
Vern Jordahl, a School Board candidate in the Cave Spring District, said he has also found conflicting views on the high school issue.
Residents in the Penn Forest and Hunting Hills neighborhoods tend to favor construction of one large high school, he said.
But other residents worry that higher taxes would be required to pay for a large school, he said.
"These people want a smaller new high school, but there are difficulties with having a good academic program in a small school," Jordahl said.
William Irvin III, another School Board candidate, said he hasn't heard a lot of strong opinions either way. He hasn't reached a conclusion on whether one large school or two smaller schools would be best.
Irvin said the biggest concern in the Cave Spring District seems to be the need for air conditioning at Cave Spring Junior High. Work began on part of the air conditioning this summer.
But some members of the Board of Supervisors have questioned spending $2.5 million on air conditioning and other improvements at Cave Spring Junior when the school might be closed.
School officials said the school wouldn't be closed for five or six years, and by the end of the year it will be the only one in the county without air conditioning.
James McAden, a Parent-Teacher Association leader, said the public meetings will help clarify the issues and develop a consensus in the community.
"I think we will have a clearer direction after the meetings and it will help us get moving on it," McAden said.
"My gut reaction is that it would cost more to operate two high schools. If the community wants that, it will have to agree to pay for it."
Robison said the programs the community desires will influence the building projects. Some buildings would need extensive renovations to accommodate the latest educational technology, he said.
Between the meetings in September and October, he said, the consultants will consider the residents' opinions in developing alternatives.
"We want to learn from the people what they want," Cobble said. "It's like reinventing education."
by CNB