THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, March 11, 1995 TAG: 9503110299
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VANEE VINES, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
The School Board unanimously approved a $50.8 million operating budget Thursday that includes restored money for technology, a dropout program and other initiatives Gov. George F. Allen had talked of cutting for the 1995-1996 year.
That amount is 5.5 percent more than the current year's budget for day-to-day expenses. Salary increases range from just under 1 percent to 2.64 percent for teachers. All other workers would get a 2.5 percent raise.
The amount requested from the city - an additional $130,000 or nearly 1 percent more - remained unchanged from the superintendent's original proposal.
The City Council tentatively is scheduled to approve the district's budget by May 3.
Nearly $288,000 in state funds will pay for a new preschool program for 4-year-olds at risk of failing. Suffolk's program will serve about 80 disadvantaged children beginning next school year.
Twenty-five new jobs - one computer technician and 24 teachers and teachers assistants - were added. Included in that figure are five teachers and five teachers assistants for the preschool program. Also included are two teachers and one teachers assistant should enrollment continue to climb.
To help close anticipated budget gaps, Superintendent Beverly B. Cox III initially had eliminated three teaching jobs the state covered for the district's dropout program. Cox had planned to put those teachers in other jobs had the state cuts gone through. Those jobs were saved in the revised budget approved Thursday.
The board says more money is needed to cover tuition for a larger number of city students participating in programs at the P.D. Pruden Vocational-Technical Center, as well as program expansions at the Center for Lifelong Learning.
KEYWORDS: SUFFOLK SCHOOL BOARD BUDGET by CNB