Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 13, 1995 TAG: 9509130074
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Harris said Tuesday night that he could not justify the construction of a new school because no major increase in enrollment is expected in the neighborhood.
Children in the area attend four elementary schools: Forest Park, Roanoke Academy of Math and Science, Lincoln Terrace and Hurt Park.
Enrollment in these schools has remained stable during recent years, and sufficient classroom space is available to accommodate growth over the next five years, Harris told the School Board.
Ten-year projections are less certain, but there are no indications that a new school will be needed even during that period, Harris said.
Bowers has proposed the construction of an elementary school in the area bounded by the Norfolk Southern Corp. railroad tracks on the south, Interstate 581 on the east, Orange Avenue on the north and 24th Street on the west.
The school could be an anchor to stimulate revitalization of Gainsboro and the Northwest neighborhood, Bowers said.
Renovation of seven elementary schools in recent years has encouraged renewal in other neighborhoods, he said.
During the 1960s and '70s, several elementary schools in Northwest Roanoke were demolished. That has hurt efforts to revitalize the neighborhood, Bowers said.
Some Northwest residents have supported Bowers' proposal, but others have criticized it.
Former Vice Mayor Wendell Butler said the plan could hamper the city's effort to integrate schools. Unless white children were bused in, he said, the proposed school would be predominantly black.
Onzlee Ware, a neighborhood leader, said Northwest Roanoke needs jobs and a strategic economic plan more than a new school.
While he cannot recommend a new school, Harris said, there is a need for a child-care center for preschoolers in Northwest Roanoke. He suggested that a center for about 125 children, ages 2 to 4, could be provided.
Harris said the city should take the lead in developing the child-care center, but the schools might be willing to participate. He said the schools might consider sharing the cost for the center's staff. But School Board member Marsha Ellison said the city should pay for the staff.
School Board Chairman Nelson Harris said he will draft a letter to Bowers outlining the superintendent's recommendation on the Northwest school issue.
In other matters Tuesday night:
The board expelled four students for incidents that occurred during the past school year. One was expelled for possessing a loaded gun on school property, another for possessing a look-alike gun, the third for assaulting two teachers and a resource officer, and the fourth for wounding another student with a box cutter.
Board members learned that the school system received $895,000 as the first-year federal grant for the Huff Lane and Lincoln Terrace magnet schools. The city had sought $3.1 million over three years. Richard Kelley, assistant superintendent for operations, said the city expects to receive additional funds during the second and third years.
The board approved the appointment of a 23-member Long-Range Planning Committee for the school system. Board member Melinda Payne said she is concerned that there are no members from the southeast and northeast sections of the city. But Nelson Harris said board members can recruit representatives from those areas.
by CNB