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

DATE: TUESDAY, May 3, 1994                   TAG: 9405030168
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SCHOOL FUNDS BATTLE'S FOCUS LIKELY TO SHIFT

But the school divisions won't give up their fight to get more money. They will focus on Gov. George Allen, the General Assembly and voters.

Halifax County Superintendent Ken Walker, chairman of the Coalition for Equity in Educational Funding, said Monday that coalition leaders believe it may be futile to pursue the issue further in the courts.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that disparity in educational funding is not a federal issue.

Walker said the coalition will meet in Roanoke on May 25 to discuss its next move in the wake of last month's decision by the Virginia Supreme Court.

Even though the state's high court upheld the funding formula, the coalition could have argued that the formula was being applied in an unconstitutional manner.

But Walker said he doubts the coalition will continue the fight in court. The group is exploring the possibility of an educational campaign to help make taxpayers and voters more aware of the disparity issue.

He said some people have the mistaken belief that schools are mainly a local entity, with little state money. "We feel like the state ought to provide an equal opportunity for all students," he said.

Walker said the coalition wants to increase its work with the governor and state legislature to persuade them to provide more money for poor school systems.

The legislature provided $103 million in disparity funds for school systems for the next two years.

Allen has told coalition members he does not consider them foes, and that he wants to work with them and the General Assembly to ensure a high quality of education for all Virginia children.

Thirty-four school divisions, mostly in Southwest and Southside Virginia, belong to the coalition.

Walker said the coalition might gain additional members if it abandons its legal fight. Some school divisions did not want to be parties to a lawsuit against the state.

House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell, D-Roanoke County, has said he's afraid that the state Supreme Court's ruling will make it harder to get the General Assembly to provide more money for schools in Southwest Virginia.

Cranwell said the decision eliminates subtle pressure on the legislature, and may make it tougher to get the backing of legislators from wealthier parts of the state.

The Supreme Court ruled that while the elimination of substantial disparity between school divisions may be a worthy goal, it is not required by the state constitution.

Any relief to which the school divisions may be entitled must come from the General Assembly, the court said.