ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, March 14, 1996 TAG: 9603140100
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
Terri Langford is worried that Roanoke County voters will send the wrong message if they defeat a $37.4 million school bond issue next month.
She's afraid the Board of Supervisors would interpret that to mean that education is not important to county residents.
To help persuade voters to send the right message, Langford and a group of county residents have formed an organization to seek approval of the bond issue and to lobby for school needs.
Citizens for Education, which includes members from all areas of the county, is promoting the bond referendum through advertisements, bumper stickers, door-to-door campaigning, politicians' endorsements and other means.
It also is working with the Roanoke County Education Association on a phone bank calling voters and urging them to vote for the referendum.
Langford, president of the Penn Forest Elementary Parent-Teacher Association, and David Simmons, a Catawba District civic leader, head Citizens for Education.
The group's immediate goal is to win approval for the bond issue, but it plans to continue as an advocate for schools after the referendum.
Its long-term goals include:
Informing the public about educational and community needs in the county.
Informing residents of the changing needs in technology and instruction.
Unifying and strengthening support for all areas of education in the county.
Promoting a comprehensive study to be made of all county schools, similar to the one recently completed for Southwest County.
Soliciting funds and endorsements for the educational package to be funded by the bond referendum.
Langford said the group is trying to raise funds to help finance its promotional campaign. It has collected $2,500 and opened a post office box to receive donations. She said contributions can be sent to Citizens for Education, P.O. Box 11441, Roanoke 24022.
The county residents formed the group because state law prevents school officials from using public funds to urge voters to approve the bonds, Langford said.
The School Board can distribute brochures and other materials that provide information on the referendum, but tax money can't be used to promote the bonds.
Private groups are free to raise funds and finance a campaign to seek approval of the bonds, however.
The referendum includes $33.6 million for a new Cave Spring High School; $2.8 million to complete the Northside gym and auditorium project; $1 million for equipment for the Glenvar Middle School and renovations at Glenvar High School; $1 million for technology for all schools; $800,000 for an addition to Mount Pleasant Elementary School; $150,000 each for architectural and engineering plans for additions to Oak Grove Elementary and William Byrd Middle schools.
The School Board has borrowed $2.5 million of the money.
The board of directors for Citizens for Education includes: Frank Thomas, former chairman of the county School Board, and Anthony Conner, Barbara Creasy, Roy Creasy, Cindy Driscoll, James McAden, Bonnie Murdock and Mary Nasca.
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ROGER HART/Staff. Terri Langford, who's helping toby CNBspearhead the passage of the $37.4 million school bond issue, gets a
lesson from second-grader John Clarke (left) and kindergartener
Christopher Boylan on a computer training program at Penn Forest
Elementary. Langford is co-chairwoman of Citizens for Education and
president of Penn Forest's PTA.