Schools eye tax dollars

By CAITLIN SULLIVAN/Staff

A report presented at Monday’s School Board meeting showed Washington County as being most able to get tax money and the least willing do so.
According to a Virginia Education Association 2007-08 Local School Division Fiscal Capacity & Fiscal Effort report based on data from 132 schools, Washington County is the most able of 19 districts in Southwest Virginia to get funds through local taxes but ranked last in the state in getting funds through local taxes.
“Washington County is 11th in the state in its ability to raise money through taxation but the effort we put out to raise money is the lowest,” Superintendent Dr. Alan Lee said.
However, the county ranks No. 2 in the region for local effort – the money Supervisors give to schools. Washington County spends $3,081 per student per year, second only to Radford.
“We’re getting a pretty good bang for Washington County, until you look at the effort,” Lee said.
Adding in the state and federal spending, each Washington County student costs a total of $9,243 each year.
The report also looked at salaries. County teacher pay ranked 10th regionally with an average $42,599 salary.
“We have a county with a significant amount of ability of wealth to raise money through taxes,” Lee said.
Although he said he’s not advocating to raise taxes he did say he was “embarrassed.” He said Washington County is “low on the list of what we spend on our students” and “Washington County isn’t doing its share to raise money for its school system.”
Board member Herschel Stevens said, “It’s ridiculous we have to go through this dog and pony show each year” when the answer is to raise taxes.
Board member Tom Musick countered that it’s a “double-edged sword.” He said the Board of Supervisors will get voted out if they raise taxes and then the School Board will end up with Supervisors less likely to provide money to schools.
“The only way you get elected is to be against taxation is crazy,” Stevens said. “That has to change.”
Lee reminded the group that Supervisors ranked second in the region in local contributions.
In better economic news, Washington County schools received more than $10 million in construction bonds through an executive order signed by Gov. Tim Kaine before leaving office. The allocation, part of $92.1 million spread over 23 localities, included eight projects in county schools, Lee said. The no-interest bonds included $400,000 to renovate greenhouses at the four high schools. Individual project include $1.16 million for Wallace Middle School, $1.49 million for Meadowview Elementary School and $1.59 million for Glade Spring Middle School for classrooms, computer labs and additional classroom space. John S. Battle and Abingdon high schools will each receive $489,126, Holston High School will receive $602,186 and Patrick Henry High School will receive $1.17 million for band room and chorus room additions and remodeling. And the William N. Neff Center will receive $3.1 million for classrooms and construction room space for the technical school. The expansion will involve combining all Technical School and Neff Center students onto one campus and once completed, the Neff Center will have the first geo-thermal heating and cooling system in Washington County Schools.
Construction on the eight projects are set to begin this month and should be completed by spring 2011.