ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, April 5, 1997 TAG: 9704070008
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: RADFORD
SOURCE: LISA APPLEGATE AND LESLIE HAGER-SMITH THE ROANOKE TIMES
The city schools will get the same 3 percent increase as other city agencies, so the School Board must trim expenses. Radford schools wrestle with tight budget
It may come down to your child's lunch.
The Radford City School Board will discuss how to cut $412,000 from its 1997-98 budget next week. Among the suggestions was to ax a $7.50 per child new equipment expenditure - previously paid by the school system - and charge more for school lunches.
It's a drastic measure, say board members, born out of the drastic problems caused by City Council.
"I hate to see them and us get to a point where we are right now where we're not caring for each other," said Vice Chairman Carter Effler.
Under the proposed city budget, school employees will receive a 2 percent salary increase. If they don't, the system would lose $120,000 in state money for teachers. Originally, the board had planned for a 4.5 percent increase for most teachers that would have leveled their pay scale.
The school system has always had to cut its request once the council allocates funding. This year's $412,000 cut - from the proposed $9.3 million requested by the board - is actually less than in previous years. Last year, the board had to cut $1.5 million from its proposed $5.75 million budget request.
But Chairman Chip Craig said he had expected the council to welcome what he termed a fiscally conservative budget, even though the board received about $12 million in requests from teachers and parents.
Tensions have smoldered since January when the School Board was denied $13,982 in unspent funds from last year to pave the bus parking lot behind the school administration building. The board came back to council with a request for the $13,982, plus an additional $614,000 in funding for special initiatives.
Computer technology initiatives accounted for $156,800 of what the board requested. Their wish list included a powerful T-1 phone line to provide Internet access at all the schools; 34 computers and the anti-virus software to protect them; and new computer hardware at all schools.
Council approved the same 3 percent increase given to other city agencies, plus enough additional dollars to make an even $200,000 - less than a third of what the School Board was looking for. The council will take final action on its budget on April 21, after an April 14 public hearing.
In a move calculated to boost the School Board's accountability, $74,507 was assigned by council to a restricted account to be spent only on technology and $115,000 was restricted for debt service on last year's loan. That gives the schools just $9,549 to use as they see fit.
This is the first time the School Board has had to grapple with new debt payments. Members were shocked when the council included the debt in its 3 percent increase.
"I can't believe City Council would in good conscience increase the budget $9,549," said School Board Chairman Chip Craig at a meeting two weeks ago.
At Thursday's meeting, the board began reviewing what it would need to cut, including the student equipment costs. The board would save some by not replacing people who are retiring, such as the Radford High School library aide, and not hiring four computer lab assistants who would have helped with the new technology being bought for the schools.
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