THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 31, 1996 TAG: 9603300092
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VANEE VINES, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
The School Board has unanimously approved its $112 million budget for next school year.
Overall, the spending plan - which includes the operating budget - is about 8 percent more than the total budget for 1995-96.
Most of the extra cash will come from the state to help cover more of the cost for basic needs, teachers' salaries and special state projects such as Portsmouth's Bright Stars preschool program for needy 4-year-olds.
The district also plans to add nearly 72 new workers to the payroll. More than half of them would be reading teachers - one for each elementary school - or teachers hired to help reduce class size in kindergarten through third grade.
The proposed pay raise is 3.5 percent for all district workers, although those at the top of their salary scales would not get the full raise, administrators said.
The budget, approved Thursday, now will be taken up by the City Council, which is expected to act on it by early May. If the council approves the board's budget as presented, the district will see $1.2 million more in local dollars for schools in 1996-97.
That is unlikely, however.
The city's proposed operating budget now calls for local school funding to remain level next fiscal year - at $24.2 million. School officials may wind up reshuffling dollars if the council sticks with that.
But several board members urged the administration to request the money anyway because they say the district needs it - primarily to help pay for postponed maintenance work.
``I make a plea that we ask for what we need,'' board member Lawrence I'Anson said at this month's board meeting.
In an interview this past week, City Manager Ronald W. Massie said level funding is the best the city could do. The $1.2 million increase in city funds would essentially restore a $1 million cut the city approved last year for public schools.
The budget approved last week in part reflects the board's desire to spend more money in areas that took a hit this school year. For example, it calls for an 8 percent increase in funds earmarked for instruction. Much of that additional money would pay for more materials and basic school supplies.
The total operations and maintenance budget would increase 12 percent.
Other changes:
About $148,000 would be spent to expand the popular Montessori program at Park View Elementary to include fourth-graders by paying for teacher training and new supplies.
The district would buy new science and math textbooks for kindergarten through 12th grade and new English textbooks for middle and high schools.
The board earmarked about $73,000 for Equity 2000. This 6-year-old program, sponsored by the College Board, is set up to better prepare minority students for success in the workplace and higher education. A key aim is to expose more children, especially the disadvantaged, to a rigorous, academic education. In the six ``national demonstration sites'' that have adopted the program, students are expected to complete algebra by the ninth grade and geometry by the 10th grade. Teachers, counselors and principals also get intensive training.
The district would pitch in about $21,000 to help cover the cost of assigning a city police officer to each middle school. An officer is now stationed at each high school to help security guards.
Two new security guards also would be hired: One for the New Directions Center and another for Woodrow Wilson High, where one of the school's two security guards would take on some administrative duties.
KEYWORDS: PORTSMOUTH SCHOOL BOARD by CNB