ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 12, 1996 TAG: 9603120076
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER
The Franklin County Board of Supervisors will get its first look at the 1996-97 school budget today - a proposal that includes $1.7 million in new local money.
The $37.8 million plan was approved unanimously Monday by the county School Board. Superintendent Len Gereau will present the budget tonight at 7 in the supervisors' meeting room at the County Courthouse.
The proposed increase covers several big-ticket items, including: $900,000 for a 3 percent across-the-board employee pay raise; $270,000 for nine new teachers; and $244,000 in new debt service tied to bond financing of capital projects.
The largest capital project is the $5.3 million Center for Applied Technology and Career Exploration - a state-of-the-art facility that would serve eighth- and ninth-grade students by intertwining a technology-based curriculum with hands-on laboratory training.
The center - to be built off North Main Street in Rocky Mount - symbolizes the strides the Franklin County school system has made in 10 years.
A majority of county voters supported a bond referendum in 1994, and the Board of Supervisors raised real estate tax rates the past two years to move the school system toward the 21st century.
With a fiscally conservative majority now dominating the board, however, there might be a better chance of Rush Limbaugh's endorsing Bill Clinton than the supervisors' agreeing to another tax increase to fund the school budget.
Supervisors' Chairman Wayne Angell said that if another tax increase is the only way to cover this year's school budget, he won't support it.
Ditto for Supervisor Hubert Quinn.
School Board member William O. Helm is taking an optimistic approach concerning a funding increase. With three new supervisors, there's no precedent on how they'll fund school budgets, he said.
``We'll just have to wait and see,'' Helm said. ``Any time you ask for an increase, there's always a concern.''
The fate of the School Board's request is likely to hinge on the amount of money the state allocates to Franklin County in 1996-97, Supervisor John Helms said.
Funding information from the General Assembly, which went into overtime last weekend because of a budget impasse, had not reached Franklin County by late Monday afternoon.
Gereau said he hopes to have updated state budget numbers available tonight.
Angell said he'll be pleasantly surprised if the county gets enough money from the state to cover the proposed school budget increase.
Because the county's real estate values and median income have gone up, Franklin County already will be paying more than $500,000 in additional local money, according to the state's allocation formula.
``It's going to cost us just to keep level funding numbers,'' Angell said.
This year's $35.3 million school budget includes $12.7 million in county money.
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