The Virginian-Pilot 
                            THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, October 6, 1996               TAG: 9610040274
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER      PAGE: 14   EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: Denise Watson  
                                            LENGTH:   74 lines

CORRECTION/CLARIFICATION: ***************************************************************** One recommendation in the district's Capital Improvement Plan would assign Great Bridge Middle School sixth-graders to an annex building next year, the current Great Bridge Middle School North facility. Hickory Middle School students would not be affected. Correction published in the Chesapeake Clipper, Friday, October 11, 1996, page 2. ***************************************************************** SCHOOL BULLETIN BOARD - CHESAPEAKE

Here's a look at some of the action from the Sept. 30 meeting of the Chesapeake School Board:

Capital Improvements

School Board members approved the district's Capital Improvement Plan, a list of major construction projects for the next 10 years. The five-year $197.4 million spending plan includes 23 projects, including building five new schools and acquiring eight sites for future schools.

Board members questioned one part of the plan, which calls for sending sixth graders from Hickory Middle School to the old Great Bridge Middle School North building. The old middle school building will be used as an annex to Great Bridge Middle School next year. Sixth graders either will use the annex or Great Bridge Middle School will have to house students in 14 portable units as work on renovation and building additions begins at Great Bridge Middle School. The work will take about four years.

Board member L. Thomas Bray said isolating the sixth graders goes against the middle-school concept of having sixth, seventh and eighth graders together, a goal the district has been trying to accomplish for years.

Board members are planning one more public meeting on Nov. 25 even though no one has appeared before the board at two other public hearings. Sign policy

The School Board authorized schools to build signs to advertise games and events on school property, according to the following guidelines:

Signs must be similar to an approved pattern with final approval by the superintendent.

Signs must be in compliance with city codes.

Schools must not pay for the signs, though a sponsoring group, such as a PTA, can.

The school system will pay for normal maintenance and repair but not for replacement. Hickory High update

Construction continues at Hickory High School and will take longer than expected.

The gym and adjacent classrooms were originally scheduled to be completed by mid-October, but that deadline has been pushed back to Dec. 1. Completion of the auditorium has moved back from late December to ``no later than Jan. 1, 1997,'' reported Steven Gilbert, assistant superintendent for operations, relying on a memo from the construction contractors.

School officials said they would continue to meet with contractors to get a better handle on construction progress. Financial report

This month's financial report was thin, as it reflected expenses and revenue through Aug. 31, a lull before the beginning of school.

School officials anticipate that there might be more state revenue since enrollment was higher than projected. School officials had projected an increase in 675 students but logged 687 in its first enrollment count in early September. Since average daily membership determines state revenue, the increased number of students means more money for the district.

Fred Cabler, assistant superintendent for budget and finance, said he was cautiously optimistic about the additional revenue. Other factors, such as state sales taxes, can influence any increases in state revenue.

KEYWORDS: EDUCATION by CNB