ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, March 5, 1997 TAG: 9703050111
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
SUPERINTENDENT WAYNE HARRIS has been busy finding money for other high-priority budget items and might be able to do the same for seventh- and eighth-grade football.
Middle school students in Roanoke might still get to play football next fall even though there is no money for teams in next year's school budget.
The School Board approved an $86.4 million budget Tuesday night that did not include the estimated $40,000 that would be needed to buy equipment and pay other expenses for the first year of middle school football.
But Superintendent Wayne Harris said this decision "does not close the door" on the proposal, because he will try to find the money if the board decides to proceed with it.
Harris said he would have a report in May on the results of a survey of parents and students willing to commit to middle school football.
"If the majority of the board wants football, count it done," he said, but he added it could require shifting of money in the budget.
Board members Brian Wishneff and Charles Day said they support football teams for seventh- and eighth-graders, although they are willing to wait on Harris' report.
During the past week, Harris said, he found the money to pay for two other high-priority items that had been left unfunded earlier in the budget process: planning time for more elementary teachers and higher pay supplements for athletic coaches.
School officials discovered that the state had shortchanged the city $152,286 in school funds because of an error.
The schools also will save about $150,000 in electricity costs because of a rate cut by American Electric Power. And the school division has received a $323,000 rebate from Trigon on health insurance costs for school employees.
With part of the additional money, Harris said, the city will provide planning time for teachers at three additional elementary schools next year. Teachers at four elementary schools have planning time now.
The schools also will raise the pay supplements for the city's coaches to a level comparable to that of their counterparts in nearby school divisions.
With the higher supplements, teachers will receive pay raises averaging 4.25 percent next year, Harris said. That will keep the school division on schedule to reach the national average for teachers' salaries by the 1998-99 school year.
Harris said the city will need to raise salaries 4.9 percent next year to reach the national average.
The rest of the additional money will be used to buy textbooks needed for history and social studies courses because of the state's new academic standards.
Board member Harry Davis cast the only vote against the budget because, he said, part of the insurance rebate should be returned to teachers and school employees.
"I know textbooks are important, but it seems the employees ought to get some of the money," Davis said.
But board member Melinda Payne said Trigon's accounting system makes it difficult, if not impossible, to determine how much of the money was contributed by the employees and how much by the school division.
"I think we have made a good-faith effort to raise teachers' salaries and to help our employees," Payne said. "We are using this [Trigon rebate] for textbooks that we need."
Harris warned the board that it might have to cut the budget if City Council reduces the real estate tax rate, as some council members have suggested.
Each 1-cent cut in the tax rate means the potential loss of $129,000 for the schools, Harris said. "This is a possibility, and you should be aware of it."
Davis suggested that the board could ask council to delay a tax cut for one year because of the tight school budget and the impact on a city bond issue this fall. A reduction in the tax rate could cause the bond issue to be smaller because the city would have less revenue to repay the bonds.
The school budget, which now goes to council for approval, is up 4.6percent over this year's spending plan.
Principals and other school administrators will receive raises averaging 4.8 percent. School cafeteria workers, secretaries, custodians and other school employees will get increases averaging 4.5 percent.
The city's daily pay for substitute teachers, now the lowest in the Roanoke Valley, will increase to $55.
The budget also includes funds for middle-school activity buses in the afternoon, four additional remedial reading teachers and plans for a pilot year-round school project at one elementary school.
It also contains funds for workshops and training programs for teachers to help students meet the state's new academic standards.
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