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

DATE: SATURDAY, December 18, 1993                   TAG: 9312180088
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-9   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: ROBERT FREIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD                                LENGTH: Medium

RADFORD SCHOOL BOARD OKS INCREASED BUDGET

The new budget contains a $350,000 increase that City Council will be challenged to fund.

Earlier in the week, City Council said all departmental funding increases should not be more than 1 percent over the current year's budget.

The proposed school budget significantly exceeds that cap. If fully funded, the budget would require a real estate tax increase of about 10 cents per $100 assessed value.

Council's receptiveness to a big spending increase prompted the School Board to cut the proposed budget deeper than some members desired.

Vice Chairman Chip Craig advocated maintaining the $500,000 increase the board reached during budget deliberations two days earlier.

"I know this is a big figure. But this is what we need," Craig said.

"In light of council's 1 percent figure, do you think this is realistic?" School Board member George Drucker replied.

Craig's proposed increase was pared by $150,000 after other board members reflected Drucker's concerns.

Sacrificed were items such as a new school nurse, new textbooks, supplemental funding for athletic programs and funding for reading program teachers.

By conditionally removing those and other programs from the budget, the board gambled that additional money to pay for them will materialize during the school year.

The approved budget does include a 3 percent salary increase for teachers and school personnel.

Several board members said they felt comfortable submitting the $350,000 increase to City Council.

Yet they acknowledged that even the lower figure may be too high to satisfy City Council.