THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 3, 1996 TAG: 9603010152
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARK YOUNG, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
There are at least three things Virginia Beach residents can count on in life - death, taxes and the triennial school census.
Unlike the first two, the census can be of potential benefit to you in this life. This year Virginia Beach has dubbed this counting procedure Kidcount '96, and it determines how much money the school system gets from the state sales tax.
Officials here hope to see forms go out to all schools - public, private and home schools - this week. To keep costs down the form is printed on plain white paper with a logo showing a child bursting across a finish line. This symbol of victory is appropriate since each completed form has the potential of bringing $390 or more per student back to the Virginia Beach school system.
Parents are encouraged to return the completed forms to the schools the next day. Those who receive forms for more than one child may fill out only one, sign the other and return both to the school. In 1992, the last time the census was done, the revenues disbursed statewide amounted to $500 million. The funds are derived from a 1 percent sales and use tax. State laws mandate the allocation of this money be based on the number of children who have reached the age of 5 but not 20 by Dec. 31. If the count of school-age children here has increased since the last census, the system could get more money, reducing the amount the city has to provide from its tax base.
Sending out forms through the schools is only the first step of the process. After the results of the initial effort have been determined, they will be compared to a database of all residences in Virginia Beach. The remaining residences will be canvassed in person. Wherever no one can be contacted, a third step - a mailed request - will be sent. Officials will continue to contact and count every child, including those who move to Virginia Beach after the initial census, until the July 15th state deadline.
Though the count normally occurs every three years, it was forestalled in 1995 while legislators sought a less costly method. None could be found that was fair to all localities, so again this year school systems statewide will spend a combined $4 to $5 million dollars to arrive at the vital figures. In past years the public response rate for the event has been high, 93 percent statewide.
Virginia Beach schools use the information for no other purpose than fulfilling their obligation to the commonwealth. Though over 80 percent of the localities in Virginia use these figures to project school enrollments and plan school attendance areas, Virginia Beach has its own programs for these functions. Officials will make forms available in Tagalog, Spanish, Braille, or large print versions for anyone requesting them by calling 427-4381. by CNB