Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 21, 1994 TAG: 9407210083
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
Roanoke faces a reduction of $300,000 in federal funds for school programs for disadvantaged students in the next school year.
In Roanoke County, there will be a reduction of $104,000.
Still, Salem's $54,000 reduction will hurt because it is starting with a smaller base than Roanoke and Roanoke County.
In Salem, the funds for disadvantaged students were trimmed from $242,000 to $188,000 for the next school year.
In Roanoke, the cut was $300,000 - from $2.7 million to $2.4 million, said Dolores Johns, director of federal programs for the city.
Roanoke County's allocation was reduced from $686,000 to 582,000 in the next year, said Joseph Kyle, director of federal programs for the county.
Despite the reduction in federal funds, all three localities say they have avoided layoffs. But some employees had to be shifted to vacant positions.
"We have managed to avoid cuts in our program," Johns said. "We avoided any pink slips."
The reductions were caused by a change in the distribution formula. The poverty rate in a locality will help determine the allocation - not the number of children who are receiving free lunches. The poverty rates are based on the 1990 census
Johns said Roanoke's allotment might be restored to its earlier level in future years if a pending bill in Congress is passed
Kyle said the county's allocation has been reduced by $225,000 in the past two years.
The federal program, known as Chapter 1 among educators, is designed to provide additional assistance, especially in reading and mathematics.
by CNB