"The Charlottesville School Board on Thursday unanimously approved Superintendent Rosa S. Atkins’ $66.1 million budget proposal for next year, a 6.9 percent increase from this year.

Board members described Atkins’ first proposal as dynamic, bold and innovative.

“I was pleased to approve last year’s budget, but we were moving incrementally, waiting for a new superintendent to come on board,” board member Louis Bograd said. “This is Mrs. Atkins’ first budget and I think this is a real testament to the prospect of the future of the Charlottesville school system.”

Bograd mentioned a pre-kindergarten program for low-income 3-year-olds, an intervention and prevention program and an in-school suspension plan as initiatives the board should take pride in.

“We’re moving from a model of remediating students who are falling way behind to trying to catch them before they fall and enable them to stay with their grade level and achieve,” he said while addressing the new prevention program, which will cost the division almost $230,000.

The biggest concerns voiced by parents in the last two months were the possible weakening of Book Buddies, a literacy mentoring program with more than 70 volunteers, and the elimination of two teaching positions at Johnson Elementary, the school with the highest percentage of low-income students in the division.

Johnson Parent Teacher Organization President Lisa Woolfork warned the board that the new Cherry Hill development near the school may create a future influx of students that would further increase class sizes.

“I appreciate the remediation and intervention efforts that are included in this budget,” Woolfork said. “However, not all children at Johnson need that. Everybody at Johnson - teachers, staff, students - will benefit from making our class sizes smaller.”

Director of Finance Ed Gillaspie noted that the proposal has set aside money for additional teaching positions that will be assigned and filled once new enrollment figures are tallied in the fall.

“We will look at enrollment come September and make adjustments,” Gillaspie said.

Board members said they had faith that school staff would adjust to the changing needs of each school.

In addressing the loss of teachers at Johnson, board member Julie Gronlund said: “I think 19 or 20 is a lot of children in a classroom when the need is so great. However, I feel very confident that we will keep an eye on the things that are changing to make sure changes are moving in the right direction.”

Changes to the popular Book Buddies program were supported by the board and will be monitored, said board member Peggy Van Yahres.

“Even though principals have been allowed to make some changes,” Van Yahres said, “we also, in our strategic plan, encouraged our principals to have more volunteer programs.”

The proposal now moves to the City Council, which is slated to vote on its budget at the April 9 meeting." (Matt Deegan, The Daily Progress, March 2, 2007)