ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, February 4, 1997 TAG: 9702040060
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG
SOURCE: LISA APPLEGATE STAFF WRITER
In a perfect world, 15 pupils would sit in each first-grade classroom in Elliston-Lafayette Elementary School.
Today, there are 22.
It's a crucial grade, said Principal Denise Boyle, because it's when many children start reading and develop lifelong attitudes toward learning.
With 70 percent of the school's children considered at-risk, the smaller the class, the better, Boyle said.
Montgomery County School Board member Mary Beth Dunkenberger, who represents the Elliston/Shawsville area, has been trying to direct more funding to schools like Boyle's. In doing so, she is altering the way the School Board - and the administration - views the needs of individual schools.
"We do get a great deal of at-risk money, and it shouldn't be distributed across the county equally."
Last Tuesday, Dunkenberger managed to win support from four other board members for her plan to allocate $42,000 in state funds to elementary schools with the highest percentages of at-risk children.
In this case, the term "at-risk" is defined by the number of children receiving free and reduced-priced lunches. Elliston-Lafayette has the highest number of at-risk children in the county.
The $42,000 comes from a state initiative for kindergarten through third-grade pupils. School systems with at-risk populations receive money if their pupil-teacher ratios in those classes are under a certain level.
All Montgomery County elementary schools qualified for funds. Most had to meet a 20-to-1 ratio. Because of its high at-risk numbers, Elliston-Lafayette needed to meet an 18-to-1 ratio. The schools can count art, music and physical education teachers in the ratio, which can be misleading as they make it appear there are fewer children in a classroom.
Superintendent Herman Bartlett said Montgomery County easily met the initiative requirements because of Focus 2006, the goals developed three years ago by parents and teachers. The plan's No. 1 goal was to lower pupil-teacher ratios to 20 to 1 in all elementary classes.
In fact, since the initiative began three years ago, the county has spent over twice as much money on hiring teachers and lowering classroom ratios as it received from the state for this purpose.
The school system has hired 30 elementary school teachers in three years, costing $1.2 million annually, said Finance Director Dan Morris. The state initiative funds have averaged $300,000 to $500,000 a year.
"Pupil-teacher ratios and salaries have been where the bulk of the school system's spending has been," said Dunkenberger. "But because this end of the county has already reached those low [ratios], they don't benefit from those efforts."
Dunkenberger argues that the school system is not following the spirit of the initiative, which is to focus on schools with the greatest need. She would like to see class sizes in the at-risk schools - like Elliston-Lafayette - closer to Boyle's goal of 15 pupils.
But Bartlett said there are larger schools with at-risk pupils, too. Falling Branch Elementary in Christiansburg, for example, has more than double the pupils at Elliston-Lafayette, and ranks fifth for percentage of at-risk children.
Pointing out these discrepancies is not typical for Montgomery County. The school system never publicizes test scores and other data school by school, though the public has access to the information through administrators.
"By pointing out high at-risk numbers or low tests scores, [some say it] will embarrass some people - I don't buy that. I'd rather the embarrassment in the short-term than illiteracy in the long-term," Dunkenberger said.
She's not trying to take anything away from other schools, she said, just target money meant for a specific purpose where it's needed. She sees nothing wrong with focusing on different goals in diverse areas of the county, she said.
Back at Elliston-Lafayette, Boyle has her hopes pinned on using her share of the money to hire an instructional aide for the first grade. That would cost about $12,000 or about one-third of the total money.
Neither Dunkenberger nor the administration has come up with a formula as to which schools will receive money, though it would likely go to more than just the top three elementary schools.
"It's a drop in the bucket," admitted Dunkenberger of the $42,000. "But as far as I'm concerned, it's a commitment on the part of the board."
PERCENTAGE OF AT-RISK PUPILS
in Montgomery County Elementary Schools
(based on the number of free and reduced-priced lunches given to pupils)
School Enrollment Percent of Pupil-teacher
(as of 9/96) at-risk pupils ratio*
Elliston 226 71% 18.4
Bethel 211 59% 15.8
Shawsville 260 57% 18.9
Christiansburg Elementary 352 44% 17.8
Falling Branch 501 40% 19.2
Christiansburg Primary 379 40% 21.1
Margaret Beeks 448 38% 20.5
Belview 239 37% 19.8
Riner 320 33% 17.8
Gilbert Linkous 419 31% 19.8
Prices Fork 220 31% 19.3
Kipps 461 28% 19.4
Harding Avenue 278 27% 18.4
* Including non-classroom teachers like music and art in grades K-3
LENGTH: Long : 104 linesby CNB