Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 18, 1994 TAG: 9402180295
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Because vouchers and charter schools are new ideas in Virginia, Bell said, he decided it would be better for the state Department of Education to make a study of them and their impact on schools.
"We felt like it would be better to wait and make sure that everyone understands the issue," said Bell, R-Roanoke County.
Bell's plan would allow poor students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches to receive public funds to attend private schools.
Students could receive vouchers of up to 80 percent of the funds allocated by the state for their public school education.
The proposals have sparked a political debate in the Roanoke Valley on school vouchers, which are offered in several other states.
Democrats have charged that vouchers would weaken public schools and put more strain on local school budgets.
Roanoke County Supervisor Bob Johnson and Roanoke Democratic Committee Chairman Al Wilson have said Bell is out of step with voters and parents in the Roanoke Valley.
Johnson, a former teacher, said vouchers are "an onerous, bogus and repulsive" concept that would take money away from public schools. Bell did not discuss the proposals with the county Board of Supervisors or Roanoke City Council before he introduced the bills.
Republicans have defended Bell, saying his proposal would benefit disadvantaged children and offer them an opportunity that is available only to students from middle- and upper-income families.
Bell said students from low-income households are most in need of assistance. Increasing their educational opportunities will give them a better chance of success, he said.
But Johnson said vouchers would not help the disadvantaged, because the tuition at most private schools is substantially higher than the value of vouchers.
Johnson said vouchers could resegregate Roanoke Valley schools along socioeconomic lines, because the most disadvantaged could not afford to attend private schools - even with vouchers.
Children with mental and physical disabilities also could not attend private schools, which are not equipped to handle them, he said.
Johnson said public schools have to provide for the education of the disabled, as well as all other students, and can't afford to lose any funds for vouchers.
The Virginia Education Association, a statewide organization for teachers, opposes proposals for using public funds for private schools, including vouchers and tuition tax credits.
Ken Walker, chairman of the Coalition for Equity in Educational Funding, said vouchers would increase disparity, because there would be less money left for the public schools.
Bell's charter-school bill would allow groups of residents to apply for charters to open their own schools. The schools would be financed with state funds but would not have to follow some regulations that apply to public schools.
Del. Phillip Hamilton, R-Newport News, introduced a similar bill in the House of Delegates. Bell said he will be working closely with Hamilton on the issue during the next year.
Bell said he has met with William Bosher Jr., the state superintendent of public instruction, appointed by Gov. George Allen.
"We decided that we need a comprehensive study. When you are dealing with reform legislation, you need to determine the full implications," Bell said.
In a recent interview, Bosher said that local school systems should make the decision about the issue of school choice. The state's role should be one of enabling localities to make the decision, he said.
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GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1994
by CNB