ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, April 25, 1996 TAG: 9604250070
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SUE ROBINSON AND JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITERS
School systems that want federal Goals 2000 money that Gov. George Allen has rejected will be able to get it if two Virginia congressmen prevail.
On Wednesday, the two Democrats introduced a bill to allow localities to apply directly for the money, bypassing Allen's veto of the funding.
The Republican governor said he would not seek Virginia's $6.7 million share of the money this year because he was concerned about federal regulations that would accompany it. New Hampshire is the only other state that has not applied for the money.
U.S. Reps. James Moran, D-Alexandria, and Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon, said their bill would allow local school districts to get the money even if a state as a whole does not participate.Two Hampton Roads representatives, Owen Pickett, D-2nd, and Robert C. Scott, D-3rd, signed on as co-sponsors.
"The state of Virginia has stubbornly refused to participate in the program, effectively cutting off the flow of federal education dollars to some of our state's neediest schools,'' Boucher said.
"We face an overwhelming problem in disparity of educational funding," Boucher said. "The schools in the district I represent want the funding. Nearly $7 million is not a negligible amount in the minds of school administrators."
Two-thirds of Virginia's 134 school boards have passed resolutions urging Allen to apply for the money, which could be used for teacher training and curriculum development. All of the school boards in the Roanoke Valley and most in surrounding counties have passed such resolutions.
Allen spokesman Ken Stroupe said local school officials don't understand the regulations that would be involved, including the establishment of broad-based local panels to monitor the program.
``A lot of these local administrators, what they have experienced is a slick, snake-oil marketing pitch for Goals 2000,'' Stroupe said.
He said Allen would prefer that the money be given to the states in block grants.
Jerry Canada, chairman of the Roanoke County School Board, said he assumed the county would be interested in applying for Goals 2000 money if the bill is enacted.
"This is a different approach and I think we would look into it, but I would want to see the details before making a final decision," Canada said.
Roanoke School Board member Charles Day also likes the proposal.to allow localities to apply directly to the U.S. Department of Education.
"It would give each school district the opportunity to secure funds. I don't think any district would have trouble finding a place to spend them," Day said.
"I don't see where this type of money would be different from the other federal money we receive," Day said. "I don't see a problem with it."
Marsha Ellison, another member of the Roanoke board, also supports the proposed legislation.
"If we could apply directly for the money, it is something I would look at carefully," she said. "Our superintendent and administration don't think there would be any onerous regulations."
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