ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, January 23, 1996 TAG: 9601230075
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
ROANOKE COUNTY VOTERS want to know what the School Board will do for them after raising all that money for a bond that faces an April 2 referendum, officials say.
The most frequent complaint about the $37.4 million school bond referendum in Roanoke County is the scarcity of projects in different communities - not the possibility of higher taxes, a top school official said Monday.
"People say, `There's nothing in it for me,''' said Marty Robison, executive assistant for county schools. "They want more than what's in it."
To help counter the dissent, school officials are developing targeted brochures that focus on projects included in the April 2 referendum for different parts of the county, Robison said.
The brochure for the Vinton and East County area, for instance, highlights $800,000 for Mount Pleasant Elementary School and $150,000 for William Byrd Middle School.
Most of the money - $33.6 million - would be earmarked for a new Cave Spring High School, but there are funds for smaller projects in each magisterial district, in addition to $1 million for technology equipment in all schools.
Some PTA leaders in Glenvar, North County and Vinton have complained that school needs in their communities have been slighted.
Robison said approval of the bonds would clear the way for school administrators to move on to the county's five-year plan for $85 million in school projects in all communities.
"We wish the bond issue was larger," he said, "but we have a five-year plan, and we can begin work on it after we take care of these projects. If education is the top priority for the county, hopefully the supervisors will join us, and we can address these other needs."
If the referendum is defeated, school officials said, school improvements throughout the county could be delayed during the next five years.
Robison told the School Board that school officials will also visit PTA meetings throughout the county in the next two months to explain the need for the bond issue and projects in different areas.
Board member Michael Stovall said he is working to get the Board of Supervisors to join with school officials in unanimous support for the bond issue. He thinks that would help persuade skeptical voters to approve the bonds.
Stovall, the Vinton District representative, said he has talked privately with Vinton Supervisor Harry Nickens about a joint resolution committing all members of both the School Board and the Board of Supervisors to supporting the bond issue.
"By the end of January, I hope we can all sign it," Stovall said, adding this would give a boost to school officials and others who are trying to persuade voters to approve the bonds.
"It would make your job easier," he told Robison.
In the meantime, Stovall said his talks with Nickens have given him hope the supervisors might decide today how the bonds would be repaid.
Two weeks ago, the School Board said it needed to know the method of repaying the bonds so it could begin an informational campaign including brochures and videos for the referendum.
But the supervisors said then they wouldn't decide until they received more information on the county's budget for the next year. They said a decision would be made well before the referendum.
"This is a critical piece of information. It can't be emphasized too much," Robison said.
One option that has been discussed is a 3-cent increase in the real estate tax rate, which now is $1.13.
School Board Chairman Jerry Canada said he has also talked with Supervisors Chairman Bob Johnson about the need for an early decision on the method of repaying the bonds.
Robison said he expects a private group will be formed to finance a promotional campaign urging voters to approve the bonds. County schools can use public funds to provide brochures and a video with factual information on the bonds, but state law prevents them from financing materials urging voters to approve the bonds.
Robison said the privately financed campaign would include bumper stickers, phone calls to voters and other activities.
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