THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 23, 1995 TAG: 9511180353
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
To satisfy the wants of school employees, parents and community members for the upcoming 1996-97 budget year, the School Board would need to come up with nearly $61 million - an amount equal to more than one-third the current, $187 million budget.
That's the word from budget director Forrest ``Hap'' White, who itemized the requests made at a public budget workshop last month.
``I don't think any of the requests are frivolous. . . . These are the kind of costs it takes to run our business,'' White told the School Board at its monthly meeting last week.
But, he quickly added, it would be fiscal fantasy to expect to be satisfy everybody: ``I hate to break it to you, but I don't think we're going to have an additional $61 million.''
Last year, the board was able to increase its budget by only $7 million - and most of that, in state funds, was earmarked for specific programs, including initiatives to reduce class sizes in kindergarten through third grade, increase technology and create classes for at-risk 4-year-olds.
Superintendent Roy D. Nichols said city funding has remained ``flat'' the past three years and that federal dollars have been dwindling. Deeper cuts in federal funds are expected next year.
``I hope we are more successful in influencing the city and the state'' for more money, Nichols said. While school officials may have overstated money woes in recent years, Nichols said, ``I fear that this year we're not just crying wolf - it's real.''
Every year for the past several years, the School Board has held a meeting at the start of the budget-building process for the next year to find out what the public wants funded. Last year, the requests totaled more than $27 million.
This year, the requests came in at $12.2 million in salary and other personnel costs and $48.4 million for such non-personnel costs as air-conditioning, building renovations and computers.
If requests for more personnel were fully funded, the schools would have to hire 177 additional employees, at a cost of about $5.5 million, including 13 more security officers, about 80 teachers, 18 assistant principals for elementary schools and 57 more clerks for schools to relieve teachers of so much paperwork.
A request for a 4 percent salary increase for all employees - about the amount needed to outpace inflation - would cost $6.5 million.
Sixteen people, some representing school employee groups and PTAs, made budget proposals at last month's meeting. The single largest request came from the Education Association of Norfolk, a teachers' group, which had a wish list totaling $46.2 million.
Included in the EAN's request were proposals for the 4 percent salary raise, to reduce middle school class sizes, to increase funding for classroom supplies and to buy more computers. The EAN request with the highest price tag was to equip each classroom in every school with five computers for students. The cost: $31 million.
While the $60.6 million in total requests seemed overwhelming, White offered board members a perspective that made it seem less daunting:
Just four or five years ago, he said, the system faced about $45 million in costs to air-condition the schools. But, gradually, the board has chipped away at its goal of cooling all of the city's schools. Now, he said, the cost is down to about $5 million to air-condition the half dozen or so that don't have it.
KEYWORDS: NORFOLK SCHOOL BOARD NORFOLK SCHOOLS BUDGET by CNB