THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 1, 1995 TAG: 9502280095
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
Superintendent Sidney L. Faucette has proposed spending $362.2 million to operate city schools next year, about $21.4 million more than is being spent this year.
Faucette is relying on the city to provide most of the extra money - $15.4 million.
That's because the state and federal governments will offer less money in 1995-96 than school and city officials had hoped. The school system is expecting about $4.8 million extra from the state next year, and $800,000 additional from the federal government. The rest would be generated by the district.
The spending plan was presented to the School Board last week. The board has scheduled a workshop and public hearing on the budget March 9.
The board must OK the plan before it is presented to the City Council for negotiation and approval.
Although the overall amount is within targets set by city budget planners, the heavy reliance on local money is likely to cause some problems.
``I think we're looking at a tax increase or a cut in some of the requests,'' said City Manager James K. Spore.
``The total increase seems reasonable,'' Spore said. ``It's the shift in the funding emphasis that we're going to have to look at. We haven't completed our analysis of that.''
Faucette proposes the heftiest spending for instruction - $297.9 million, $16.5 million more than this year.
On a percentage basis, however, the largest increases in expenses would be in administration and student transportation. The school system would spend about 15.5 percent - $1.2 million - more on administration and about 18 percent - $2.4 million - more on the school bus system.
The proposed increase in instruction adds up to about 6 percent. It includes money to establish a new department in the school system's central administration. The department, to be supervised by the deputy superintendent, would offer leadership and support for school principals.
Without the $1.2 million to establish that office, the increase for instruction would be about 5.4 percent.
Part of the transportation increase will pay for 38 new buses for Princess Anne Middle, which will allow the school to operate on the middle school time schedule next year instead of the high school schedule it now uses.
The spending plan does include some ambitious instructional programs.
Equipment for students enrolled in job-training programs, for example, would be upgraded.
A magnet school for academically gifted fourth- through eighth-graders would be established at the old Kemps Landing Intermediate School, which was closed last fall when Larkspur Middle School opened.
The budget also includes money to open a second Open Campus program, an evening school for kids who are not successful in regular classes.
Faucette also has found some areas to cut.
The amount of money budgeted for summer school, for example, would drop by $1.7 million, if the School Board approves Faucette's proposal to charge tuition for some summer programs that now are free.
About 71 percent less money would be budgeted for teachers to tutor students at home, because school officials have revamped discipline procedures that required the costly private sessions for problem kids. by CNB