ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, January 1, 1996 TAG: 9601020109
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
Times have changed in Roanoke County.
A few years ago, county voters could be counted on to approve school bond issues. School officials didn't always have to undertake elaborate promotional campaigns.
No more.
Bonds for a new Cave Spring High School could be a tough sell, particularly in the Glenvar, North County and Vinton areas.
Some voters are leery of the $33.6 million price tag and the possibility of a 3-cent increase in the real-estate tax rate, one possible option for repaying the bonds.
Some parents outside Southwest County also complain that their schools have been neglected at the expense of the new 1,900-student high school.
The outcome of the $37.4 million referendum could hinge on the success of a promotional campaign during the next three months, parent-teacher association leaders and other county residents said in interviews.
The county's attempt to broaden support by including each of the five magisterial districts - through projects at six other schools and $1 million for technological equipment for all schools - might not work, they said.
The April 2 referendum includes $1 million for renovations at Glenvar middle and high schools, yet some Glenvar parents plan to vote against the bonds because they consider the money a token to try to win their support, said Bonnie Jaeger, president of the Glenvar High PTA.
Last week, Jaeger said she had talked with the parents of several Glenvar students. The parents are active in the PTA and their children participate in extracurricular activities.
"The general consensus is they won't vote for it. They think the cost of the new school is excessive, and other options ought to be considered," Jaeger said. "They feel something needs to be done, but they wonder about spending that much on one school."
Mary Staples, president of the Glenvar Elementary PTA, also has heard opposition to the bond issue.
"Personally, I have a lot of questions. We didn't get all of the money from the last bond issue that we were supposed to get," Staples said. "I think it's going to be negative in this area."
In North County, some parents believe their schools have been slighted while Southwest County gets a large new school, said Jeff Herrick, co-president of the Glen Cove Elementary School PTA.
"We have needs in North County, too. They weren't willing to provide enough money for a big gym at Northside, and a lot of our schools need improvements," Herrick said.
The bond issue includes $2.8 million to finish the $5.9 million Northside High gym and related facilities. But the gym is smaller than Northside boosters wanted.
Herrick said the county has refused to repair the ballfield at Glen Cove Elementary, and school officials don't seem to be interested in upgrading its playground equipment.
All of the big new stuff goes into Southwest County, and they throw us a little dab," he said.
Karen Walters, president of Northside Middle School PTA, said the money to finish the Northside gym might not be enough to persuade voters in North County to support the bond issue.
"Some people are upset that money for the gym was tacked onto the bond issue. They were promised last summer there would be funds to complete the project," she said.
Even if the bond issue is defeated, the gym is likely to be finished because the School Board could ask the Board of Supervisors for the money.
Rena Powell, president of Northside High PTA, believes the funds for the gym will cause more North County voters to approve the bonds, however.
"I haven't heard much discussion about it, but ... I'm for the bond issue and I think this will help win support for it," Powell said.
In the Vinton area, some parents won't vote for the bonds because there is little money for their children's schools, said William Adkins II, president of Herman L. Horn Elementary PTA.
"How can you justify spending that much on one school when other areas have needs, too?'' Adkins asked. "We have schools that are filled in Vinton, and we are going to be overcrowded, but they just throw a crumb to us."
The bond issue includes $150,000 for architectural and engineering fees for a William Byrd Middle School addition, but there are no funds for elementary schools in Vinton. Adkins' wife, Cathy, is president of the William Byrd Middle PTA.
"I'm education-oriented, but it would be tough for me to vote for this. It's not going to turn out like a lot of people think," William Adkins said. "People move to the county for schools, but the tax rates are going up and there is more concern about taxes now."
The county plans to make a $3.3 million addition to William Byrd High School, which would be financed with a state Literary Fund loan and won't be affected by the referendum.
In Masons Cove, some residents think the Cave Spring area gets the best school facilities, said Linda Palmer, president of Mason's Cove Elementary PTA.
"They want the same type of schools for their own children," Palmer said. "I don't know that the money for Glenvar and Northside is going to be enough to sway people in our area."
She said some of her neighbors are worried about a possible increase in the real-estate tax rate. A 3-cent increase would be an additional $30 per year in taxes on a $100,000 house.
In the Mount Pleasant neighborhood, many residents favor the bond issue because it includes $800,000 for an addition to their elementary school.
"I feel like we will support it," said Debbie Lawson, co-president of the Mount Pleasant PTA.
The support in Southwest County could determine the bond issue's fate. Approximately 40 percent of the county's schoolchildren, nearly 45 percent of the county's voters, and 10 of the county's 26 schools are in the attendance zone for the new high school.
"In the education community and among people with children, there is strong support for the bond issue," said William Richardson, president of Cave Spring High PTA. "Occasionally, you get negative comments from people in other parts of the county."
Besides the new high school in Southwest County, the bond issue includes $150,000 for architectural and engineering fees for an Oak Grove Elementary addition.
PTA leaders in Southwest County are already setting up a campaign to help win approval of the bonds.
"We've got to have this school," said Mary Nasca, president of Cave Spring Junior High PTA.
Nasca said Southwest County PTAs hope to develop a unified strategy to get the bonds approved. PTA leaders will coordinate their effort with the school system's public information campaign.
Under the School Board's arrangement with the Board of Supervisors, the schools will pay for distribution of information about the bond issue.
Windsor Hills Supervisor Lee Eddy has hinted he might not support the bond issue, but he said last week he has not decided what position he will take.
Eddy wants the School Board to develop a capital improvement plan with a timetable and priorities for other projects. The board has approved a $50 million list of projects, but it has not ranked them or established a schedule for them.
"The thing that bothers me the most is that they are approaching this in a piecemeal fashion," Eddy said.
Some supervisors have raised the possibility of levying a 2 percent gasoline tax to help repay the bonds, but a gas tax alone would not be sufficient, Eddy said.
"I don't know how strong the support is among parents and voters, but we need to educate them," said Barbara Creasy, president of the Hidden Valley Junior High PTA. A meeting of PTA leaders from all Southwest County schools has been scheduled this month to begin mapping strategy. The group might invite representatives from PTAs in other parts of the county later, Creasy said.
School officials and PTA leaders must win the support of many voters without school-age children to ensure approval of the bonds.
Fewer than 50 percent of the households have children in school. But many grandparents and relatives of families with children in school understand the need for the new high school, Richardson said.
However, there are many voters who are uncertain.
"I haven't made up my mind," said C.H. Foster, a 75-year-old retiree who lives in the Northeast part of the county. "I don't see how you are going to float a bond issue without raising taxes."
LENGTH: Long : 152 linesby CNB