ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, March 31, 1996 TAG: 9603290104
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: G-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
On Tesday, Roanoke County voters will be asked to aaprove a $37.4 million bond issue for county schools. Here's what some county citizens wanted to know before they go to the polls - and the answers to their questions.
1 - WHY SO MUCH FOR CAVE SPRING?
"I understand that 40 percent of the school-age kids live in the Cave Spring area. I'm wondering if 40 percent of the property owners live in Cave Spring. The reason for that is there is so much animosity in North County, unfortunately, and in the Glenvar area, because in the [bond issue] there is something like $37 million, with $4 million to be divided between the other schools."
- Patricia Hammond
ANSWER: Yes, Southwest County has 45 percent of the total assessed value of real estate in the county. Here is a profile of the county:
NOTE: See microfilm for text of chart.
2 - MUCH WILL TAXES GO UP?
"I'm retired. I've sent four of my children through Northside, but I don't have any in school now and I'm against the tax increase. I think money can come from other places than raising taxes. We just got an increase in the appraisal of about 8 percent or 9 percent, and if you add this to it, then what are they doing to do to add more to it next year?
- Robert Lovelace
ANSWER: County Administrator Elmer Hodge said the county hopes to delay some projects so its reserve fund can be replenished to avoid increasing the real estate tax rate. The Board of Supervisors said earlier the tax rate might have to be increased by 2 cents to repay the school bonds, but it now says no increase will be required next year.
Opponents of the bond issue say real estate tax bills are increasing because of higher assessments even though the tax rate has not been raised.
3 - WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES?
"I went to school at Cave Spring High and my daughter's at Cave Spring High. We have transferred around a lot and I've had her in schools in West Virginia and other places and having seen other school systems made me realize we have a lot going for us here in Roanoke County. But I wouldn't want to become sympathetic to the situation until I filled out my state and federal income taxes. I would be interested to know if there are any alternatives to choose from? Maybe put those alternatives in there on April 2, instead of yes or no. Give us some choice."
- Gloria Christen
ANSWER: Putting several alternatives on the ballot could lead to ambiguity and confusion for voters, said Paul Mahoney, county attorney. If there were three or four alternatives and two or three passed, there could be uncertainty about the voters' preference. If one alternative passed with 54 percent of the vote and another got 52 percent, he said, which would you choose? The county's bond attorneys recommend that referendum questions be clear to reduce chances for a court challenge to the results, he said.
As a practical consideration, voting machines are not designed to provide the space to list alternatives, Mahoney said. State election laws require the questions to be phrased so voters have a choice of "yes" or "no."
Consultants, Southwest County residents and the School Board considered five options on the Cave Spring high school issue before choosing the plan for one new large school. The options were:
1. Continue Cave Spring as a 1,000-student high school
Build a new 500-student middle school and 1,000-student high school complex.
Convert Hidden Valley Junior High to a 1,000-student middle school.
Discontinue use of Cave Spring Junior.
$32.2 million.
2. Continue Cave Spring as a 1,000-student high school.
Construct a new 1,000-student high school.
Convert Cave Spring Junior and Hidden Valley to 750-student middle schools.
$33.4 million.
3. Construct a new 1,500-student high school.
Convert Cave Spring High to a 750-student middle school.
Convert Cave Spring Junior to a 500-student "school of choice" high school for technology or the arts.
Convert Hidden Valley to a 750-student middle school.
$38.7 million.
4. Continue Cave Spring as a 1,000-student high school.
Convert Hidden Valley to a 1,000-student high school.
Convert Cave Spring Junior to a 750-student middle school with complete renovation.
Construct a new 750-student middle school.
$31.7 million.
5. Construct a new 1,900-student high school.
Convert Cave Spring High to a 750-student middle school.
Convert Hidden Valley to a 750-student middle school
Discontinue use of Cave Spring Junior.
$36.8 million. Don Terp, leader of a residents' group opposing the bond issue, contends the county should consider expanding the existing Cave Spring High instead of building a new school. That would be cheaper and reduce the burden on taxpayers, he said. There is plenty of room for expansion in the school's large parking lot, he said.
But school officials said that would be a short-term solution and would not solve space and air-conditioning problems at Cave Spring Junior High. School Board Chairman Jerry Canada said the county would be faced with the same space problems in a few years even if it spent several million dollars on a short-term solution now. Cave Spring High's design is not suitable for expansion because of the narrow halls, location of the library in the center of the school and other factors, school officials said.
4 - WILL ALTERNATIVES COST MORE?
'Would it cost more if the county borrowed the money from other sources as opposed to passing the bond referendum? What's the alternative if we turn down the referendum, what happens then? If it does cost more, then what?'
- Sylvia Tricarico
ANSWER: Besides general obligation bonds, the county has two other sources of funds for school improvements: state Literary Fund loans and bond issues through the Virginia Public School Authority. The interest rates on Literary Fund loans are 3 percent, compared with 5 percent to 6 percent for general obligation bonds and VPSA bonds.
But there is a $5 million limit on Literary Fund loans for each project, so the new Cave Spring High could not be financed from this source. Localities sometimes have to wait several years to get a Literary Fund loan because requests from school systems throughout Virginia exceed available funds.
County Administrator Elmer Hodge said the interest rates on VPSA bonds are about the same as general obligation bonds, and there is no limit to the amount of VPSA money for a project. It probably would have been just as cheap to use VPSA bonds, which do not require a referendum, as general obligation bonds, Hodge said. But the Board of Supervisors thought that on a project of this size, voters should have a voice, Hodge said.
Diane Hyatt, county director of finance, said the county probably will use a combination of funding sources to pay for the new high school and other school projects . It will seek some Literary Fund loans and possibly some VPSA bonds in a package with general obligation bonds to reduce the borrowing cost as much as possible, she said.
The county is asking voters to approve $37.4 million in general obligation bonds, but it might reduce that amount if it receives some Literary Fund loans and VPSA bond funds.
If the referendum is defeated, the Board of Supervisors could use VPSA bonds to pay for a new high school and other school improvements. But Supervisors Chairman Bob Johnson said that a new high school probably wouldn't be built because the board is unlikely to disregard voters' wishes.
5 - IS THE PRICE TAG GUARANTEED?
"What assurances do we have the new Cave Spring High won't cost more than $33.6 million? Nothing ever comes in at the price they quote. It's always going to be higher because they say we need a few extra features. If they would come back and say they had a signed agreement and guaranteed that it wouldn't be higher, then maybe people would be willing to look at it. Once the school is started, it's going to have to be paid for, and so if it runs over, they'll just come back to the taxpayer and say we have to have another five, 10 or 20 million or whatever."
- Shannon Abell
ANSWER: The Moseley McClintock Group, architects and engineers for the project, has a good record in projecting costs for schools, said Marty Robison, executive assistant for county schools. The firm has designed dozens of schools throughout Virginia and construction costs have been close to estimates for its projects. The School Board is confident that the school's cost won't exceed the estimate, he said.
School officials plan to use "value engineering" on the project by arranging for an independent panel of engineers and construction experts to review the plans to see if changes can be made to reduce cost without compromising quality.
Supervisors Chairman Bob Johnson thinks the school's cost might be reduced to $30 million or less through the use of an engineers' panel to review the project.
6 - BUSING NINTH-GRADERS
"How much instructional time do some ninth-graders at Cave Spring Junior High lose because they have to be bused to Cave Spring High for specialized classes?
- Doris Lewis
ANSWER: Because of travel time to the high school and other required schedule adjustments, some ninth-graders at Cave Spring Junior are unable to take one or more courses they would like to take. They aren't allowed to participate in clubs at Cave Spring High. They also miss some extracurricular activities at the junior high while they are traveling to the high school.
7 - WHAT ARE THE TRADE-OFFS?
"Everybody seems to be concerned about how the county is spending money. There's a tremendous amount of frustration with how the county government is being run. Everybody wants to go in and clean up everything. But who is going to give up what?"
- Frank Kallio
ANSWER: In the past decade, the county has financed several major projects such as the Spring Hollow Reservoir, Smith Gap Landfill, Public Safety Center and the development of industrial sites. Now that those projects have been finished, county officials said they can give more attention and money to school needs. But the school projects will require a large financial commitment by the county, Cave Spring Supervisor Fuzzy Minnix said.
If county residents want to continue to have schools of the same quality they've become accustomed to, it will be expensive in the next 10 to 15 years, Minnix said. If voters reject the $37.4 million bond issue, he said, the school needs won't go away.
Supervisors Chairman Bob Johnson thinks the April 2 vote will be a referendum on county spending policies in recent years. If voters reject the bond issue, the supervisors will have to assess whether they are headed in the right direction.
Referendum opponent Don Terp said the county has accumulated too much debt in recent years and can't afford to spend millions of dollars more on schools. He said the tax burden is becoming too heavy on residents and the county must slow its spending on new projects.
8 - MODULAR CLASSROOMS
"I retired in 1991 with the state of Virginia and decided to go to Anchorage, Alaska, for a year. During that time, I was a substitute teacher in Anchorage and I got to see first-hand what hardship there was in modular classrooms for children; not having any water and not having any bathrooms. Is this happening in Roanoke County?"
- Gilliam Lewis
ANSWER: Roanoke County is using 19 modular classroom units at 11 schools this year. Five of the schools are located in Southwest County - Cave Spring Junior High and four elementary schools: Bent Mountain, Cave Spring, Oak Grove and Penn Forest. Four units are being used at Cave Spring Junior, one of the most overcrowded schools in the county. Oak Grove Elementary has two modular units, with Bent Mountain, Cave Spring and Penn Forest each using one.
Elsewhere in the county, William Byrd High is using four modular units. Construction will begin in June on a 22-room addition at the Vinton school. Fort Lewis Elementary, which will be renovated and enlarged beginning this summer, has two units. Burlington Elementary, Northside High, Roland E. Cook Elementary and William Byrd Middle School each have one modular unit.
9 - ONE SCHOOL VS. TWO?
"Why didn't they poll the whole county on the question of one big high school? They could have sent home a questionnaire to all the parents who had kids in schools, not to mention the whole county. I feel like this bond referendum is on: Do we want a big high school or do we not want a big high school? Many of us do not want a big school because it means bigger classes, and it means that our kids are in a college-type situation instead of a high school type situation.
- Elizabeth Belcher
ANSWER: As a rule, school officials seek only the views of residents within the attendance zone for a high school when issues are unique to that area, said Marty Robison, executive assistant for county schools. In the study of school needs in Southwest County, he said, there were two main issues: whether ninth-graders should be in the high school and the community's preference for one or two high schools.
All other areas of the county have one high school and ninth-graders attend the high schools. Because the issues in the Cave Spring area were unique to that community and were not shared by the rest of the county, school officials believed it was best to get the views of those most affected by the decision, Robison said. When school officials are dealing with issues unique to North County or East County, for example, they do not poll the Cave Spring area, he said.
A poll of about 300 people at a planning meeting on school needs in Southwest County last fall showed a majority favored one high school rather than two.
10 - WOULD A BIG SCHOOL SAVE MONEY?
'With the larger size school, are there going to be less people on the payroll and can you show me how this is going to be cost effective?"
- Mark Schmidt
ANSWER: Consultants have estimated the county would save $1.7 million a year in operating costs by constructing one large high school instead of two smaller schools in Cave Spring as some parents proposed. The savings would be mainly in personnel with fewer principals, assistant principals, teachers, coaches and other personnel. There would be lower costs in athletic programs, library services, maintenance and utilities.
The biggest saving - $1.1 million a year - would be in reduced expenses for the teaching staff.
The county would not have to duplicate some classes. With two smaller schools, for instance, it might be required to have two or three classes in a foreign language course at each school to accommodate the students. But they might be combined into three classes at one school.
11- WHY NOT USE HIDDEN VALLEY JUNIOR HIGH?
"One question I would like the newspaper to investigate is the cost of taking Hidden Valley Junior High and expanding upon that and making that into a high school. I would like to see what kind of answers they come up with that."
- Jan Danahy
ANSWER: School officials considered five options for relieving overcrowding at Cave Spring High and putting ninth-graders in a high school. One proposal called for continuing Cave Spring High as a 1,000-student high school and converting Hidden Valley Junior High into a 1,000-student high school. That option would have cost $31.7 million, compared with $33.6 million for a new 1,900-student high school.
Consultants, architects and engineers estimated the cost for converting Hidden Valley Junior to a high school would be $9 million. Renovations and additions would be needed for the school to serve older students.
A new 750-student middle school to replace Hidden Valley was estimated at $12.6 million.
Improvements to Cave Spring High would cost $2.3 million if it remained a high school. Renovations and air conditioning at Cave Spring Junior would cost $7.8 million if it remained in use.
Because of limited space, consultants said athletic fields at Hidden Valley Junior could not be expanded and there would be no room for a football stadium.
Hidden Valley Junior is located in Roanoke in territory that was annexed by the city two decades ago. Nearby city residents have objected to school-related traffic and lights on ball fields near the school. County officials said city residents would likely object to any expansion of the school or changes that would bring more traffic into the neighborhood.
School officials said another factor in discarding the Hidden Valley Junior option was consultants' estimates that two high schools in Southwest County would increase the schools' operating budget by $1.7 million a year.
12 - DO NONRESIDENTS CAUSE OVERCROWDING?
"They talk about overcrowding in county schools. I would have a question as to the number of students [from outside Roanoke County] that are now in the county school system. I know of one [family] first-hand that has a student at Back Creek Elementary. They live in Floyd County and they drive their child down Bent Mountain every day. Does this contribute to the overcrowding in county schools?"
- Kit Edwards
ANSWER: Approximately 700 students who live in other localities attend Roanoke County schools. They are scattered throughout the county's 26 schools. Twenty-four students from outside the county attend Cave Spring High, and 11 attend Cave Spring Junior High. Most of the out-of-county students at Cave Spring High and Cave Spring Junior attended elementary schools in Roanoke County. "These students have come up through our schools, but we don't take additional students from outside the county at these two schools," said Marty Robison, executive assistant for county schools.
The out-of-county students are not a factor in overcrowding at Cave Spring High, Cave Spring Junior or other schools, he said. The county accepts nonresident students only in cases where it is not required to hire additional teachers or add classes to accommodate them, he said. Nonresidents are accepted only at schools where there are vacancies in classes and no additional costs are required.
Out-of-county students generate revenue for the schools. The county receives about $2,500 in state funds a year for each student who comes from another jurisdiction. That comes to about $1.75 million in state funds each year for these nonresident students without any additional cost, Robison said.
Under the county's reciprocal policy with surrounding jurisdictions, there is no local tuition for nonresidents. But there is a $100 registration fee. The county rejects more than three times the number of applications from out-of-county students than it accepts, Superintendent Deanna Gordon said.
13 - THE PRICE OF SUBURBAN SERVICES
"This county is throwing away more money. I have a brother that lives in Monroe, Va. [Amherst County], and I'm paying roughly four times the taxes he's paying on a house. He's got a better automobile than I got, but I'm paying more taxes. Now how do they get by down there on that little bit of money and we can't get by on the kind of money that we're paying? Something is desperately wrong."
- Hugh Clapp
ANSWER: The real estate rate in Amherst County is 51 cents per $100 assessed valuation, compared to $1.13 in Roanoke County. Amherst County, which adjoins Lynchburg, has a population of about 30,000; Roanoke County's population is about 80,000. Amherst's personal property tax rate is $2.50 per $100 valuation; Roanoke County's rate is $3.50.
Roanoke County's tax rates are higher because it provides a full range of urban services that Amherst and many rural counties don't, said county Administrator Elmer Hodge. Roanoke County has weekly garbage collection service while many counties provide only drop-off dumpsters with no home collection, he said. Roanoke County also provides recycling service. Roanoke County's garbage and recycling service costs $2.5 million a year, the equivalent of 8 cents on the real estate tax rate.
Hodge said the county uses a combination of paid and volunteer firefighters at a cost of $1.5 million while many counties rely entirely on volunteers. The county also has series of branch libraries, senior citizens' center and teen center that few rural counties provide.
Hodge said the urban services provided by the county add 15 to 20 cents to the real estate tax rate. Roanoke County's costs for schools are also higher than many localities because it pays higher salaries to teachers and offers a diversity of programs.
Many residents, including supporters of the school bond issue, have complained during the campaign about what they describe as the county's high tax rates and water bills.
DOES THE COUNTY HAVE MONEY AVAILABLE?
14 - "Has everyone forgotten that their taxes already went up this year? This year alone [the county] has collected more in property assessment, more than three times the amount it needs to pay the per year amount on the bonds. Why is it that we can't pay for a [new school] with that? What is in the county's contingency now? Whether we want a school or not, we're already going to get a school. That's already been approved."
- David Courey
ANSWER: County Administrator Elmer Hodge said the county has $5 million in its reserve account - far short of the cost of a new high school. Money from the higher assessments this year was needed to pay the county's operating costs and other expenses that continue to increase.
The Board of Supervisors said earlier it might have to increase the real estate tax rate by 2 cents - from $1.13 to $1.15 per $100 assessed valuation - to repay the school bonds, but it now says no increase will be needed in the next fiscal year. And the county might not have to raise the tax rate in future years because of the bond issue, Hodge said.
"I believe there's a good chance we can do it without the need for an increase in the rate at all," he said.
But Don Terp, who opposes the bond issue, said the county can't afford the bond issue, even without an increase in the tax rate, because the tax burden on property owners has become excessive. The county managed to avoid a large tax increase only because it is delaying repayment of part of the principal on the bonds for five years, Terp said. More people will migrate to neighboring counties to escape the high taxes and water bills if the county debt and tax burden keep increasing, he said.
Supervisors Chairman Bob Johnson doubts a new high school will be built if voters defeat the bond referendum. He doesn't believe a majority of the supervisors is willing to finance the school with Virginia Public School Authority bonds, he said. "If you ask the voters to decide on a bond issue and they reject it, would you be representing them by going ahead with the project?" he asked.
15 - WHY HOLD A REFERENDUM?
"There are options and I think our Board of Supervisors simply chose not to do it. They chose instead to put this bond referendum before the public, which rather divides the county. I feel they put us in this position. Whether they have children in school or not, it affects their property values. I'm wondering how much money and time we're wasting with studying and the bond referendum and repairs to the building instead of just doing what we need to do to make things right in the county."
- Kathy Batchler
ANSWER: The Board of Supervisors could have sold bonds through the Virginia Public School Authority and raised the real tax rate by 2 cents per $100 assessed valuation to repay the bonds without a referendum, Cave Spring Supervisor Fuzzy Minnix said. But all supervisors believed the voters should make the decision because they pay the taxes, he said. On such a large bond issue, voters ought to have a voice because it affects them financially, he said.
Minnix said he hopes the referendum doesn't cause any lasting divisions within the county because that could jeopardize future bond issues for schools. Residents in Glenvar and North County have complained that their schools are being slighted while most of the $37.4 million would be spent on the new Cave Spring High School.
Despite the dissent over the bond referendum and complaints that some areas are being treated unfairly, Supervisors Chairman Bob Johnson thinks the decision to hold a referendum was the correct one. "If we are going to spend $37 million, I think the voters ought to have a chance to express themselves."
16 - ACCOUNTABILITY
"It seems like everyone agrees that we need to invest in schools for the children and for our own economic sake. But it seems also we have a problem with accountability in our public officials, which is a different problem. I would certainly like to see some accountability in this $37.4 million bond issue."
- Theodore Allen
ANSWER: Jerry Canada, chairman of the School Board, said the money will be spent on school needs, not on frills or luxuries. He said architects and engineers will be held responsible for their cost estimates, including the $1.5 million fee for designing and overseeing construction of the new high school. He said that's the maximum they will receive regardless of changes in the plan that might be required.
School officials said cost estimates for the high school are in line with construction prices, technology and equipment for other new high schools built in Virginia in the past year.
Got a question about something in the schools? Got a question about something in Roanoke County? Let us know so we can follow up. Write Citizens Agenda, The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va., 24010 or e-mail roatimesinfi.net or fax to 981-3346.
LENGTH: Long : 465 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: CINDY PINKSTON/Staff. PROPOSED SITE: Engineers plan toby CNBlift the low-lying site out of the flood plain (green area on layout
below) with 10-12 feet of fill, which would put the high school
building 12 feet off the 100-year flood plain. Photo taken from
Merriman road, in front of Penn Forest Elementary School.
(headshots) all 16. color. Graphics: 3 maps. color.