THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 24, 1995 TAG: 9502240580
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 46 lines
Poor school kids in this city and possibly other Hampton Roads cities could lose out on special help in math and reading because of fewer dollars and changes to a federal education aid program.
The preliminary 1995-96 Norfolk schools' budget, released Thursday by Superintendent Roy D. Nichols Jr., identifies 14 schools that will lose their federal Chapter 1 funding. Nearly 30 teachers, aides and parents hired to help run the program could lose their jobs.
Grappling with ways to recover from the Chapter 1 losses is one of the biggest budget challenges facing Norfolk next year, Nichols said.
The school system is heavy with kids from low-income families who qualify for Chapter 1. The $7.1 million now spent in Norfolk reaches about a third of the approximately 12,800 elementary kids who participate in the federally funded free- or reduced-price lunch program.
``I hate that we're shutting down more rather than opening more,'' School Board Chairman Ulysses Turner said of the loss of Chapter 1 programs.
But there is an upside, Nichols said. While 14 schools are losing the federal funds, 13 inner-city schools with the highest concentration of poor students - including the 10 majority-black ``community'' schools - actually will receive more money.
That's because of a funding-formula change by Congress requiring that the poorest schools get first shot at the money. With less money to go around, some schools with fewer poor kids won't get any.
In addition, an increase in state aid for preschool and elementary kids at risk of academic failure will help ease the losses, Nichols said.
The proposed $187 million budget calls for a 3 percent raise for teachers and administrators. It also contains funds for several new school programs designed to raise academic standards, including a new international diploma program at Granby High School.
A public hearing will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Norview High School auditorium.
Copies of the budget will be distributed to each school library and branches of public libraries and will be available for review. by CNB