ROANOKE TIMES

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, April 10, 1990                   TAG: 9004100275
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-1   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: By MIKE WOLFE SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium


ALLEGHANY MERGER CALLED UNLIKELY

COVINGTON - An educational consultant has told leaders of Alleghany County, Covington and Clifton Forge that school consolidation could save taxpayers much as $1.4 million annually.

In virtually the same breath, Dr. Wayne Worner then told the officials gathered Monday afternoon at the Jackson River Vocational Center that consolidation cannot succeed.

The seeming contradiction was the primary conclusion of a study Worner conducted this winter.

In the summary of his 65-page report, Worner said local politics and tradition dictate that "there will be no merger in the Highlands in 1990."

Alleghany County and Clifton Forge operate joint schools. Their Alleghany Highlands school system is roughly three times as large as the Covington system. Both have been bothered for years by declining enrollment and an aging general population.

Several other studies also have extolled the benefits of further consolidation. In May 1987, a vote to consolidate all governmental functions failed in Covington despite heavy support in the other two jurisdictions.

Worner's calculations suggest a saving of $275,000 annually for at least five years merely by consolidating the central offices of the school systems. A further $165,000 annually would be realized through the state's incentive funding for mergers.

Worner said that recent changes in state funding meant that housing all high school students in one building, the current Alleghany High School, would save another $160,000.

Worner also suggested a "single high school housed in two facilities." That two-campus plan would continue the current Covington and Alleghany high schools, located about seven miles apart, but would consider them one school.

The latter suggestion would save about $100,000 less than the former plan.

While Worner said that a new, unified high school seemed a solution to overcome rivalries and traditions, he said no one to whom he talked suggested such a change would work. Worner said the expense of a new building and current major renovations being done at Covington High made new construction unlikely.

Worner noted that some interviewees suspect the Alleghany Highlands system is seeking help from Covington in building new schools.

Alleghany Highlands school personnel have said that the system is considering building a new middle school. They say consolidation is being suggested now, though, because once multimillion dollar construction is begun they will have less incentive to merge.

Worner said he had used "conservative" figures in estimating savings. He said his $600,000 annual savings estimate could be as much as $1.4 million. That figure is about 7 per cent of the total annual combined school budget.

When asked by a Covington representative what his personal preferences were for school size, Worner said he preferred small systems but that finances often required "economies of scale."

Covington Superintendent Tommy Robertson and School Board member Becky Woodson nodded in agreement as Worner said, "My preference is you don't do anything as long as you can afford not to."



 by CNB