THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 25, 1994 TAG: 9412250078
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, Staff Writer
LENGTH: Long : 130 lines
As school officials in Hampton Roads assess the impact of Gov. George F. Allen's proposed budget cuts, they are discovering that his plans will hit hardest students who need help the most.
Included on Allen's hit list are funds for dropout prevention, in-school health programs, minority students and English as a second language. Technology and maintenance also would be cut.
``There are a lot of people who need this,'' Phyllis F. Bricker, Portsmouth's health services supervisor, said of Allen's plan to eliminate money to run an in-school health clinic for low-income students at Hunt-Mapp Middle School. ``It is a serious matter.''
In Norfolk, which would feel some of the hardest hits, schools would lose about $1.3 million, including $573,126 budgeted this year for dropout prevention, based on figures released Thursday by the state Department of Education's budget office.
While that might seem insignificant in a school system with a budget that this year totaled $181 million, it would be missed - and not easy to replace, officials said.
``In the early 1980s our dropout rate was up to 15 percent, and now it's down to about 6 percent,'' Norfolk schools spokesman George Raiss said. ``In the past 10 years, we've had tremendous success in lowering the dropout rate, in large part due to the programs we've been able to put in place using state aid. It's a sizeable chunk of change.''
Already up to their chins in budget woes, some officials in the five South Hampton Roads districts doubt that local money could be found to save some programs targeted by the governor. That means students might not be the only ones to suffer: Some people could lose their jobs.
With less than three weeks before the General Assembly convenes, local officials are turning to lawmakers to block the budget cuts and keep the dollars flowing.
``We shall depend on our friends in the legislature to protect us,'' Raiss said.
In Portsmouth's case, the legislature awarded the school district $150,000 in startup costs for the health clinic, one of several in-school clinics funded as pilot projects statewide. Portsmouth renovated a couple of rooms at Hunt-Mapp and has enough money left to run the clinic the rest of this school year.
The clinic primarily serves children of poor working families who do not have medical insurance, Bricker said.
``Just starting them as pilot projects just won't do the job,'' Bricker said. ``They invested this much to start them, I would like to think they would use their sense to keep them operating. We're definitely lobbying.''
No school district in Hampton Roads would be spared. Virginia Beach stands to lose $728,936 in maintenance funds and $562,152 in dropout prevention funds.
The resort city operates the Center for Effective Learning with its dropout funds. The center houses about 300 middle school students considered at risk of dropping out and approximately 20 teachers, said Mordecai L. Smith, director of business and finance for Virginia Beach schools. The loss of state funds could shut down the center, Smith said.
``With that state money you're talking teacher salaries,'' Smith said. ``We would make every effort to re-prioritize money to keep it from closing, but it's not like we've got a budget out there with a surplus pot.''
Chesapeake could lose $529,053 in dropout funds and $330,576 in maintenance funds. In Suffolk, $115,050 for dropout programs would vanish, as would $97,440 in maintenance funds.
To soften the cuts, Allen proposes giving localities more freedom in how they spend state money earmarked for ``at-risk'' students, by merging several categories of those funds into a single block grant.
Even though local school officials said they appreciate fewer strings, the available money would not make up for the anticipated losses.
In Norfolk, for instance, state funding specifically for at-risk students would actually increase by $293,081. But the governor's proposed cuts would eliminate about $900,000 the school district this year has funneled into programs targeting such students.
One of the programs, called AVID, for Advancement Via Individual Determination, helps prepare minority and low-income students for college. This year, the state pumped in $176,500 to train teachers and recruit 60 students at two Norfolk high schools and one middle school.
Officials had hoped to triple the number of participants next year. Allen wants to cut the funding.
On the bright side, each Hampton Roads district will receive new money to fund preschool programs for at-risk 4-year-olds. The districts also will continue receiving so-called ``disparity'' funds to reduce the teacher/pupil ratio in kindergarten through third-grade classrooms.
But educators remain gloomy.
``It's difficult to be too happy with it, because everything is increasing, just in inflationary costs,'' said James T. Roberts, director of business affairs in Portsmouth. ``It's going to be a very tight year.'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
SCHOOL BUDGET CUTS
Based on current funding levels, the school districts would lose
money in several categories.
NORFOLK
Dropout prevention: $573,126
Maintenance: $367,217
Technology: $65,853
English as a second language: $15,489
AVID, a college-prep program for ``at-risk'' students: $176,500
Student health programs: $150,000
Total: $1,348,185
PORTSMOUTH
Dropout prevention: $295,236
Maintenance: $199,324
Technology: $199,636
English as a second language: $5,153
School/community health clinic: $150,000
Total: $849,349
SUFFOLK
Dropout prevention: $115,050
Maintenance: $97,440
Technology: $13,728
English as a second language: $3,429
Total: $229,647
VIRGINIA BEACH
Dropout prevention: $562,152
Maintenance: $728,936
Technology: $179,161
English as a second language: $189,416
Total: $1,659,665
CHESAPEAKE
Dropout prevention: $529,053
Maintenance: $330,576
Technology: $47,936
English as a second language: $8,300
Total: $915,865
Source: Virginia Department of Education
by CNB