ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, February 26, 1997 TAG: 9702260088
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
Roanoke teachers will receive pay raises averaging 4.1 percent next year, but the city's middle schools may not get football teams.
A majority of the city School Board members said Tuesday night they support a budget compromise that preserves salary increases recommended earlier by Superintendent Wayne Harris for teachers and other school employees.
Principals and other school administrators will receive raises averaging 4.8 percent. School cafeteria workers, secretaries, custodians and other school employees will get increases averaging 4.5 percent.
But there is no money in the spending plan for middle school football despite the board's tentative endorsement of the proposal earlier.
The future of middle school football apparently will hinge on whether City Council provides additional money for schools for next year.
Middle school football is estimated to cost $40,000 a year. School officials had hoped that the city's Parks and Recreation Department would pay half the cost, but recreation officials have been hesitant to make any commitment, Harris said.
School Board members said they also lack the money for two other high-priority items: planning time for more elementary teachers and higher pay supplements for athletic coaches.
Harris had recommended that teachers at half of the city's elementary schools be provided a daily planning period at a cost of $175,786.
Teachers at four elementary schools have planning periods. The superintendent wanted to extend that to 11 elementary schools next year.
Harris also had recommended that the pay supplements for the city's coaches be raised to a level comparable to their counterparts in nearby school divisions. He estimated this would cost $88,583.
But five of the seven board members said they thought the recommended pay raises for teachers and other employees should take precedence over these items.
"I'm very concerned about the impact on teacher morale if we back off our commitment to raise teachers' salaries to the national average," said Vice Chairman John Saunders. "This could have an impact in the classroom if morale is low."
If the board reduces the proposed raise, it could be hard pressed to meet its goal of raising salaries to the national average by 1998-99, he said.
"This is a matter of trust. If we back off, we might lose trust with the teachers," said board member Melinda Payne.
Board member Brian Wishneff said the board already has lost their trust because teachers claim that it promised a 6 percent raise as part of a three-year plan to boost salaries to the national average.
Board members deny that they made such a promise, however, and that the 6 percent figure was only a projection.
"It will make it worse if we don't give a 4.1 percent raise," Payne said.
Chairwoman Marsha Ellison said she also is worried that teacher morale might suffer if the board trims the proposed pay raise.
But board member Harry Davis proposed that the teacher raise be reduced to 3.85 percent and the board use some of the money to provide more elementary teachers planning time.
Planning time "will help teachers' morale, and it will help the students, because the teachers will be better prepared," Davis said.
Davis said he also opposes the proposal to use some leftover funds at the end of the current budget year to pay for some items in next year's budget. He said there is no assurance that the money will be available in future years to cover operating expenses.
"It might sound like I'm against teachers, but I'm not. I feel strongly that we will be able to meet the national average for teachers by next year, " Davis said. "If we had the money, I would give them a 6 percent raise this year."
Wishneff said he thinks the board has a tendency to focus too much on salaries at the expense of students. He said that about 70 percent of the increase in revenue in next year's budget is allocated for raises for teachers and other school employees.
"My concern is that there needs to be a balance between teachers' salaries and the students," Wishneff said. " Yes, there will be happier teachers [if they get 4.1 percent raises], but we haven't provided much for the students."
He supports funds for planning time for more elementary teachers and middle school football.
Board member Charles Day said he favors middle school football, too, but he wants to preserve the 4.1 percent raise for teachers.
Saunders said the schools can't afford middle school football because of the budget crunch. "I'm against any new athletic program until we get the deficits in the athletic funds at our high schools in order."
Patrick Henry and William Fleming have a combined deficit of about $130,000 in their athletic funds, primarily because of declining gate receipts in recent years.
Some advocates of middle school football contend that it would help reduce the dropout rate, reduce drug abuse and keep some youths out of trouble.
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