ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 25, 1997 TAG: 9703250097
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
A plan to update Roanoke County's schools carries a big pricetag. But yesterday's buildings won't fit tomorrow's needs. Often, they don't fit today's.
LAST YEAR, Roanoke County's schools superintendent estimated the county would need to spend $120 million over the next five to 10 years on school construction and repair.
Last week, a study committee of 22 residents recommended that the county spend $120 million over 10 years on school construction and repair.
Whatever differences in priorities and details may emerge, school officials and residents agree: A major capital investment is required - $120 million seems to be a good estimate - to keep an excellent educational program. The task now is to come up with a plan to pay for improvements, and a strategy to win broad support.
People from every part of the county were on the study committee. Thus, the variety of proposed projects reflects concerns in all areas, just about guaranteeing broader public support than was evident for a new Cave Spring High School last year, when voters defeated a bond referendum.
Yet, proposing significant investment in every section of the county, while smart politics, is not alone any reason to support spending millions of dollars. The investment ought to be needed - and, in this case, it is.
The study committee noted the numbers of old buildings in the school system: eight more than 50 years old - one of them 86! Of a total of 28 schools, 21 have roofs that leak. While there have been renovations, expansions and repairs, tight county budgets have for years been paring these to a bare minimum.
To provide the education students need today, much less in the next century, schoolhouses will have to be better.
The world has changed since 1911. Schools need science labs, and computer work stations and hookups. Virginia Tech, for example, has set up an Institute for Connecting Science Research to the Classroom; schools must be able to tap in.
Corporations talk about the critical-thinking skills employees need to respond rapidly to changes in technology and markets. Schools must be able to integrate arts and science education into all aspects of a school day to nurture creative and analytical skills.
The collision of new demands and old infrastructure is not unique to the county. Nationwide, schools need billions worth of building replacement and repair. The county is trying to face that challenge squarely, an effort to be applauded.
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