Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, December 29, 1993 TAG: 9312290083
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURA WILLIAMSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ABINGDON LENGTH: Long
Driven inside by pouring rain, about 100 teachers crammed into a lounge at Virginia Highlands Community College to protest education budget cuts and Wilder's failure to provide additional money for Virginia's poorest schools.
As Southwest Virginia teachers and school superintendents spoke about the need to spend more on education, people lined up outside a building across the lawn for a chance to urge members of the House and Senate finance committees not to spend less on other programs, such as libraries, mental health and social services.
But none was as organized as the the Virginia Education Association.
A Burma-Shave series of signs lining the college entrance road promoted the teachers' cause long before anyone entered the hearing.
"Virginia schools are greatly in need," read the first sign, followed immediately by a second: "More funding is crucial indeed."
"Our legislators must take the lead," urged the last.
Wilder's proposed two-year budget includes a $5.3 million cut in the Department of Education's general fund, elimination of $3.6 million to cover declining enrollment in areas such as Southwest Virginia, and an additional $172 million to cover a 2 percent increase in student enrollment statewide.
Association President Rob Jones said teachers had been planning to increase lobbying efforts this year long before the budget was released Dec. 20. In April, teachers rewrote the state's school-spending formula. Earlier this month, they called for a minimum of $505 million in additional school spending each year.
Jones has criticized the "standards of quality," which outline the minimum education requirements for each school division. And he has attacked Wilder repeatedly for his record on education, which he says pales in comparison to the administrations that preceded him.
Don Skeen, president of the Virginia Education Association district covering Montgomery and Floyd counties, told those at the rally he would like to punish Wilder the way his father would have punished him for taking risks with children's lives:
"I'd like to say, `Doug, I want to see you in the woodshed, son.' "
Jones was more diplomatic, saying he expected things to improve under Gov.-elect George Allen.
"I feel like a turnaround is inevitable," he said. "The only question is: When are people going to get sufficiently agitated as to put more pressure on legislators?"
Lisa Katz, a spokeswoman for Wilder, defended his record on education as "a strong one," despite the poor economy that greeted him as governor.
Wilder, she said, was the first governor to address the disparity issue by working with the General Assembly to provide an additional $74 million to the state's poorest schools during past budget cycles.
Wilder included nothing in this budget to ease educational disparities because of a lawsuit pending against the state, Katz said. A coalition of the state's inner-city and rural school divisions - many of which are in Southwest Virginia - charged that the state violates its constitution by failing to provide an equal education to all students. The case is pending before the Virginia Supreme Court.
The southwest corner of the state sent out its brass to support the teachers Tuesday.
Abingdon is home to state Board of Education Chairman James Jones, who told teachers to urge their state legislators to spend the same amount of money on both rich and poor students.
Per-pupil spending in Virginia ranges from $3,819 in South Boston to $9,139 in Falls Church. The state provides between 20 percent and 80 percent of a locality's education budget, based upon the locality's ability to pay. But wealthier school divisions are able to provide significantly more of their own money, creating a gap in course offerings, technology and special programs.
"I think we have to change the system," said board Chairman Jones, who later repeated his message to members of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance committees.
In an interview following his presentation, Jones added that a "perfect system" would cap the amount a locality could spend on schools, but that creating such a system was "not politically realistic."
Instead, he favors the three-tiered school-spending formula proposed by the Virginia Education Association, which puts a greater financial burden on the state but continues to allow localities to pitch in money of their own.
Del. Clarence Phillips, D-St. Paul, said one man stands between legislators who want to fix the disparity problem and a solution: Senate Finance Committee Chairman Hunter Andrews, D-Hampton.
Andrews, one of the state's most powerful lawmakers, repeatedly blocks legislation that would bring more money to poor school divisions, Phillips said.
Andrews was scheduled to attend the hearing at Virginia Highlands but had to cancel because of weather conditions. He could not be reached later for comment.
The committees will hear public comment again today in Sterling, Jan. 4 in Virginia Beach, Jan. 5 in Lynchburg and Jan. 17 in Richmond.
by CNB