ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, January 29, 1997 TAG: 9701290061
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
Roanoke teachers, upset about a proposed 4.1 percent average pay raise for next year, might receive an even smaller increase, School Board member Brian Wishneff said Tuesday night.
The board might not have the money to provide the raise recommended by Superintendent Wayne Harris because the proposed school budget still has a deficit of $1.1million, Wishneff said.
If City Council cuts the real estate tax rate, as some members have suggested, it will be even more difficult for the board to give a 4.1 percent average raise, he said. "That will complicate it for us."
Each 1-cent reduction in the tax rate would mean the potential loss of $130,000 for the schools, Harris said.
Even without a tax cut, Wishneff said, "it's going to take luck and a minor miracle" to close the revenue gap in the proposed budget and provide the raise.
Some teachers contend that the board promised a 6 percent raise next year as part of a three-year plan to increase salaries to the national average by 1998-99.
"My concern is that the debate has focused on 4.1 percent versus 6 percent," Wishneff said. "But that is a false debate, and it needs to be recast, because it might be something less than 4.1 percent."
Chairwoman Marsha Ellison agreed that the board might have to reduce the raise if it cannot eliminate the deficit by securing additional revenue or making cuts.
Harris has recommended a 3 percent increase in the teacher salary scale. In addition, about one out of five teachers would receive a "tier raise" ranging from 2.5 percent to 19 percent, producing an average raise of 4.1 percent.
School Board members and Harris have denied promising a 6 percent raise. They said they promised only to increase salaries to the national average by 1998-99.
They said a smaller increase next year would keep Roanoke on track to reach the national average, because raises for teachers in the rest of the country were smaller this year than expected.
Harris said the deficit has been reduced from $1.9million to $1.1million since he presented the budget to the board last month. The projected revenue from the city has increased by $303,477, and there have been small increases in several other categories. Expenditures have been cut about $372,000.
Harris said he remains optimistic that both the state and city will provide additional funds before the board has to act on the budget.
The General Assembly is considering proposals for teacher pay raises ranging from 2 to 5 percent in the next year. That could mean an additional $125,000 to $375,000 in state funds for Roanoke, Harris said.
Richard Kelley, assistant superintendent for operations, said the state funds would be much less than what would be needed to provide the stated raises because of Virginia's complex funding formula.
Each 1 percent pay increase for Roanoke teachers costs about $420,000, Kelley said.
The state money for raises would not be available until next January because of the state's budgeting procedures, school officials said.
Board member Harry Davis raised the possibility that Roanoke might want to consider delaying the effective date for the teachers' raise until January. That would enable the board to provide a larger increase.
If the raise was delayed, the salary scale could be increased by 3.5 percent and the average raise would be 4.6 percent, Harris said.
But board members said that such a delay is only a budget alternative at this point and no decision has been made to use this approach.
Davis asked school officials to provide estimates on the financial effect of delaying the raise.
Kelley estimated that the city might receive between $75,000 and $200,000 in federal Goals 2000 funds as a result of Gov. George Allen's decision to accept the money. But he said the money would have to be used for computers and technology, not for operating expenses.
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Chart by staff: Roanoke's average teacher salary. KEYWORDS: MGRby CNB