DATE: Wednesday, October 1, 1997            TAG: 9710010449

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B6   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY NANCY YOUNG, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE                        LENGTH:   62 lines

IN CHESAPEAKE, BOARD SEEKS $218 MILLION FOR SCHOOLS

If the School Board had a crystal ball, putting together five- and 10-year building plans for the district wouldn't be so frustrating.

But without a crystal ball, the board on Monday night unanimously approved more than $218 million for building projects over the next five years. The plan - about $50 million more than the administration had requested - will keep the construction of two new high schools on track. In fact, it calls for almost $87 million in spending next year alone.

The capital budget now moves to the City Council, which will decide how it fits with the city's needs.

The board also decided Monday to ask administrators to look again for ways to convert troubled South Norfolk schools from a system of primary and intermediate schools to elementary schools serving kindergarten through fifth grade, all while maintaining racial balance. The district had devised four K-5 plans, but three of the four led to racially divided schools. The fourth would have caused overcrowding at Carver Intermediate School.

``What's the harm in seeing if we can have the best of all worlds?'' asked board member Patricia P. Willis. ``There might be something better. We want the best. It hasn't been working the way it is - we might as well change.''

During the public hearing, South Norfolk residents, primarily from the Portlock section, urged board members to find a way to make K-5 schools work. Some believe the change may help improve the schools' test scores. South Norfolk currently has some of the lowest scores in the city.

``You need every opportunity, every advantage you can get,'' said South Norfolk resident Gerald Johnson. ``How do you plan to turn that (low test scores) around if K-5 is not a part of it?''

Along with South Norfolk residents, Western Branch residents were out in force at Monday's meeting. To their chagrin, the list of approved capital projects did not include a second high school for their area. They warned that the district is underestimating the growth potential of the region.

Resident Robert Fogel said looking for a high school site now would help the district keep ahead of enrollment growth instead of always playing catch-up with crowded schools.

``When it (enrollment growth) comes we can handle it, and we'll be out of the firefighting business,'' Fogel said.

Board members acknowledged residents' concerns but said projected enrollment figures don't indicate a need for a second high school in the next 10 years. They added that, if projection numbers warrant it, plans could change.

``The plan can be changed annually,'' said board member L. Thomas Bray. ``We can put looking for a high school site there, if it is needed, as early as next year.''

Superintendent W. Randolph Nichols acknowledged that in Chesapeake, with its history of rapid growth, a lot can change in a few years.

``I'll tell you right up front. We can't make 10-year projections in this city,'' he said.

Although Western Branch won't get a second high school, $28 million has been budgeted for a new middle school. The projected opening in the year 2000 is in doubt because of concerns about the proposed building site, in the Sunray section of Bowers Hill.

The board also approved new high schools in the Grassfield and Centerville Turnpike areas. The Grassfield school is projected to open in 2004 while the Centerville location may open in 2006. A second southeastern elementary school also was approved. It is projected to open in 2001.

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