ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, January 25, 1997 TAG: 9701270042
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
Principal David Blevins isn't ready to bury Hidden Valley Junior High's year-round school plan.
He still hopes that his school can begin a year-round schedule this summer despite the Roanoke County School Board's delay in approving it.
"I'm not going to give up yet," Blevins said Friday. "I'm going to hang in there a few more weeks and see if we can still put it together."
Blevins has worked on the year-round proposal for four years as chairman of a committee that has studied the issue.
Thursday night, some board members raised the possibility of delaying Hidden Valley's plan for a year to see if the county can find grant money to help pay for it.
They aren't sure that the school division will have funds for the projected cost of $143,722 because of other budget pressures.
But Blevins said Friday that the estimated cost could be reduced after the school completes a survey to determine how many students would choose the year-round option if it is offered.
"There's a very good chance that the cost could come down," he said. The projection was based on general estimates and covered all contingencies, he said.
When school officials have firm numbers on how many students would opt for the year-round schedule, they can make a more precise estimate of the cost, he said.
"We'll also look to see if we can quickly find some grant money, as some board members suggested," Blevins said.
Blevins said he is afraid that if the plan is delayed a year, parents and students would lose interest.
Sherry Buckner, president of the Hidden Valley Parent-Teacher Association, said she has the same concern. The PTA's board of directors supports the year-round plan, she told the School Board.
Thomas Leggette, a School Board member who has a child at Hidden Valley, said he still hopes the county can find the money to begin the plan in the next school year.
"Every member of the PTA board voted for it, and I hope we can give it a try," Leggette said. "I don't know whether we will have the money, but I talked with [Blevins] and he said the projected cost was very liberal and it might be reduced significantly."
Blevins said some Hidden Valley teachers were upset by the board's failure to approve the plan Thursday night.
"They thought that we lost, but I told them that we probably tied," he said. "We got an extension of time until we can come up with some firm numbers, and board members said they like the idea even though there was a concern about the funds."
The year-round plan would be voluntary; the traditional schedule would still be offered.
Advocates of year-round schooling say it can improve academic achievement and attendance, reduce burnout and provide remedial help sooner for students.
But some educators question its benefits and say it can be costly and disruptive. Recently, some school systems in Florida discontinued year-round plans because of a lack of improvement in student achievement and parent and teacher discontent.
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