ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, April 26, 1997 TAG: 9704280053
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BEDFORD
SOURCE: JOANNE POINDEXTER THE ROANOKE TIMES
The promised 3.5 percent pay increase for teachers and administrators will be reduced to 3 percent.
The Bedford School Board probably will reduce raises for teachers and administrators instead of cutting a practical-nursing program and sixth-grade band classes.
The School Board will meet Tuesday night to make a final decision on the budget, which the Board of Supervisors cut by $4.4million.
The School Board changed its mind about eliminating the band and nursing programs after more than 850 parents, students and teachers gathered Thursday night.
Instead, the board said it would cut the promised 3.5 percent raise for teachers and administrators to 3 percent. At 3.5 percent, the raises would have totaled $1.4 million; at 3 percent, the total is $1.1million.
Personnel in those two programs and an elementary school arts program were among the 43 teachers and administrators who were notified on April15 that they would lose their jobs, take a pay cut or be reassigned as programs were eliminated to balance the budget. The board postponed a vote early Friday morning on most of the personnel decisions.
The board, however, did vote to spend $30,689 for the director's salary so that nine first-year nursing students could complete the two-year nursing program.
Superintendent John Kent said he's meeting next week with the program's director, state nursing officials and staff at Carilion Bedford Memorial Hospital, where the students train, to determine how the program will be run. Board members would not speculate if the program would continue after the 1997-98 school year.
The board voted to keep three band instructors and to appropriate $93,753 for the sixth-grade band program.
LENGTH: Short : 44 linesby CNB