ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, May 25, 1996 TAG: 9605280019
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: PULASKI
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
Pulaski County school officials have put the final touches on their 1996-97 budget to meet county funding levels.
The School Board wanted $371,612 more in county funds next year, and the Board of Supervisors approved $116,000. So school officials had to decide what initiatives they wanted to keep and which ones could wait for future years.
The supervisors will hold a public hearing on the overall county budget, including schools, at 7 p.m. June 3.
The School Board decided Thursday night to hang onto the 2.3 percent increase for employees, a workplace competency program, new textbooks, technology initiatives, an additional psychologist, a full-time Pulaski County High School band assistant, two instead of four new critical skills teachers for lower grades and some additional custodians.
Superintendent Bill Asbury is hoping to secure some grants to expand the workplace competency program, which educators believe is needed to turn out graduates ready for employment. "It's been received real well by the business community," he said.
The cost for an additional psychologist may be reduced by having the person work less than a full-time schedule. Another possibility is that it might take some time to find the right person, and hiring might not take place until the school year is under way.
Dropped from the proposed budget are a 0.22 percent retirement benefit increase, an additional elementary counselor, some assistant principals, student activity support, contingency money for increased utilities or other costs and $13,000 for sick leave payout to retirees who have accumulated sick leave.
But the board made the sick leave payout dependent on whether any money is left over at the end of the year. If it is, retirees will receive up to a third of their regular pay for unused sick leave, but the decision will have to be made year by year.
Asbury said the payout will encourage teachers to avoid taking sick leave if they can. "It gives them an incentive that I think will pay dividends over time," he said.
He also suggested that leadership within school faculties may be developed to overcome the lack of assistant principals. "There may be some creative ways to do that."
As for dropping the contingency for unanticipated expenses, Asbury said, increases are going to happen and staffs will simply have to be better shoppers and more stingy in some areas.
He said he will be meeting with principals at the high school and two middle schools to evaluate coaching positions. New girls' sports, soccer and softball, will start next year and Asbury said he is hoping for some parental help in fund raising for them.
"What I would like the board to recognize is we are going to have to make some choices," he said. "We can't just add and add."
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