By Joe Chandler
Bleak.
Disastrous.
These were words Halifax County School Superintendent Dennis Witt used this week to paint the picture of the 2001-2002 county school budget.
Governor Jim Gilmore's proposed state budget includes no money for salary hikes for teachers.
It also does not include $400,000 in state composite index transition funds that Halifax County received last year.
"The Governor's (proposed) budget was disastrous for us," Witt said.
School system finance director Bill Covington agreed.
"If nothing were to change, this will be one of our worst (budget) years," said Covington.
As it stands today, the Halifax County school system is staring at a loss of $140,000 in state funds for the next fiscal year.
That decrease comes despite a savings of approximately $800,000 the school system will net next year through a reduction of funds it pays into the Virginia Retirement System (VRS).
Other factors affecting state funding, such as an $88,000 decrease this year in sales tax revenues and a further decline in the 2001-2002 budget year, also come into play.
"When you look at all of the state monies coming in and apply what benefits we will have from the VRS charging us a lower rate, the net effect is that we will lose $140,000," Covington pointed out.
It is a tough situation to face following a year in which the county had to overcome a staggering $3.2 million loss in state funds resulting from a change in the composite index, one of the key factors used by state officials to determine the amount of money to be distributed to local school systems.
When the South Boston and Halifax County school systems were consolidated in 1995, Halifax County was granted a five-year moratorium on changes to its composite index.
Last year, when Halifax County was placed under the state's most current composite index figure, the county took a $3.2 million financial hit.
The Board of Supervisors had to make up the difference for the 2000-2001 school budget.
"It was a big hit at one time," Witt said.
"But over the five-year period (of the moratorium) we enjoyed much more than that ($3.2 million) in terms of money we received from the state."
Receiving $400,000 in state composite index transition funds, a one-time allocation by the state to help soften the impact of composite index change helped some.
That money is now out of the picture.
The financial picture doesn't stop there, however.
When it comes to salary hikes for school system employees, it costs the school system approximately $280,000 for each one-percent hike.
And, when it comes to increasing group health insurance benefits for school system employees, Witt says it takes $100,000 "to do anything at all with health insurance premiums."
"That is probably on the low side," he added.
It costs the school system approximately $380,000 to give its employees a one-percent pay hike and provide minimal help with group health insurance premiums.
Combine that with the $140,000 loss is state funds and you have a serious financial problem.
The need for salary and benefit increases for school system employees and an increase in benefits are big issues.
Last year the Halifax County School system lost ground to its neighboring counties in both categories.
"I'd say we lost two percent in the contest last year," Witt said.
"We were probably two percent less than everybody else in raises, which got us behind. If we don't keep up with them this year, we drop behind even further."
Last year the school system sent $200,000 in unspent monies back to the county at the end of the year, money that was reappropriated to this year's school budget.
Witt said that if any money remains in the school system's operating budget this year, he will talk to the Board of Supervisors about reappropriating that money to next year's budget.
But, he said, the chance that there will be any significant dollars left to carry over at the end of this year "is slim."
While the financial situation may not be as dire as it was in the 1991-1992 budget year, when salaries of all school system employees were frozen, Covington said the coming budget year "will certainly be in the group of the worst" budget years Halifax County schools have seen in the last 15 to 20 years.
Witt, Covington and school system officials are in "a holding pattern," waiting for word from state officials about final figures.
Word from the financial front is expected from the General Assembly as early as Sunday.
"We're keeping our fingers crossed that the General Assembly will find some money for public education," Witt stated.
Witt and school system officials are hoping for good news.
But even a best-case scenario could leave the 2001-2002 school budget very confining with little, if any, room to provide any significant salary hike and increase in benefits.
Not only are school system officials facing the challenges of salary and benefit hikes, capital improvements are also part of the picture.
"We think we need to continue with our capital improvements plan for the school system." Witt pointed out.
"That's also going to be on the table."
Witt points out, however, that capital improvements is a different category - a different situation.
"We do have a capital fund and we do get some monies for capital expenditures only," he explained.
"We will continue pursuing what we call Phase II of our capital improvements program."
There is a possibility that debate may arise in some corners over spending money for capital improvements as opposed to spending money for salaries and benefits.
Witt has the answer for that debate.
"Dollars received for capital improvements can be spent only on capital improvements," he pointed out.
" You can't spend them on operations."
Covington also noted that money in the school system's capital improvement fund has previously been earmarked by the Halifax County School Board and the Halifax County Board of Supervisors specifically for capital improvements.
"It's not a free and clear pot of money," Covington emphasized.
Addressing all of the needs will be a rocky proposition for school system officials.
The bottom line, Witt said, will rest with the citizens of Halifax County and the Board of Supervisors.
"We're staring in the face the need for the citizens of Halifax County to provide additional resources to the school system so that we can be competitive with our neighbors, first of all, and across Virginia as much as possible," Witt stated.
"That translates to the need for more support from the governing body. We can be as efficient as we can and we try to be.
"But," Witt concluded, "the fact of the matter is just operating the basic program - the state funds, right now, are not there - not for us."

The county's redistricting committee learned this week that it will have about four weeks to complete its task after 2000 census figures are released this spring.
Census figures are expected by April 1, but a redistricting plan may be required as early as May 1, a week earlier than previously expected.
The crucial time line centers on submitting the redistricting plan to the Department of Justice for review, explained Halifax County Administrator Joe Morgan.
Paramount considerations as the committee tackles its task should be preservation of the "one person, one vote" concept, and the "preservation of minority interests," the administrator said.
The local committee will be reviewing the county's eight election districts, not town voting boundaries, such as wards, explained Jerry Lovelace, assistant county administrator.
Three supervisors and three school board slots in Halifax County will be open in the November 6 election following redistricting.
Seats up for grabs include: Election District -2, currently represented by Supervisor Tom West and School Board member Steve Anderson; ED-3, represented by Supervisor Joe Satterfield and School Board member Wanda McDowell; ED-6, represented by Supervisor Page Wilkerson and School Board member D.H. McDowell.
The county administrator told the committee that the goal was to get as much work done prior to the release of census figures as possible.
Committee member Garland Ricketts, representing ED-7, suggested that residents' concerns or comments about redistricting be directed to individual committee members or to county officials prior to the group's scheduled Thursday, Feb. 15, meeting.
Residents also may e-mail comments to the county at the following address: info@co.halifax.va.usa.
"With the time constraints, it is better to get comments earlier rather than later," Ricketts said.
The good news for the committee is new technology.
"Before we worked off paper maps, but now it's on digital," Morgan said.
The administrator said that he hopes to move to the computerized map, and then add the 2000 census data when it comes in.
"That tool will be the big difference between the way it was done last time and this time," Morgan said.
When the census numbers come in, Morgan recommended that committee members look at towns, where it is easier to shift numbers (of people) in a smaller geographic area than in the rural areas of the county.
The committee agreed to meet next on Feb. 15, with three March dates and two April dates also set for committee work.
Precinct Problems
Jim Farrington, secretary of the Electoral Board, named several district problems. One problem is in South Boston, where some voters cast their vote at a different polling station, depending on whether it is a town or a general election. One other problem is that two polling places are located in the National Guard Armory, which results in confusion.
In Dan River, election officials had trouble finding a polling place and in ED-7 there is "one huge precinct and two smaller ones," according to Judy Meeler, county registrar.
"We would like to see District 7 more accessible, with all three precincts on a more equal basis," said Farrington.
Members of the redistricting committee include: Douglas Powell, ED-1; Tucker Watkins, ED-2; Janie Luck, ED-3; Pam Murphy, ED-4; Carl Furches, ED-5; Hugh Haley, ED-6; Garland Ricketts, ED-7; Nancy Pool, ED-8. Ex-officio member are Judy Meeler, registrar and Jim Farrington, secretary of the Electoral Board.

The practice of applying treated sludge to land in Halifax County will be the subject of a public information meeting tomorrow at the Laurel Grove Volunteer Fire Department.
The sludge, containing phosphorus and nitrogen in concentrated amounts, is used to build nutrients in the soil.
The 4:30 p.m. meeting, called by the Virginia Health Department, comes in the wake of a new proposal by Agri-South Biosolid Services of Greensboro, N.C., which proposes the addition of 601 new acres of county land for the application of Class B biosolids.
Over 2,000 acres of land in Halifax County are already receiving applications of the treated sludge, which comes from Danville and Chatham.
Agri-South is also proposing the reissuance of the current permit to spread the biosolids.
According to the Virginia Department of Health, the last permit was issued five years ago, and is due to be renewed.
Two local residents have already expressed concerns over the continued use of Class B biosolids in the county.
William Coleman, who heads the Halifax County Community Action Agency, remembers prior applications of sludge in the Turbeville area that created an "immediate, foul and obnoxious odor."
"Many would not permit their children to go outside," said Coleman.
"They felt trapped within their own homes."
Coleman's own research shows a potential problem with pathogens in the sludge, along with a heavy metal content.
He also questions the method of applying the sludge on the surface of the soil, rather than cultivating it into the ground.
Cultivating the sludge into the soil would mitigate the potential problem of runoff into local streams and rivers, according to Coleman.
Coleman also sees potential problems with the concentration of treated sludge use in one area of the county, as opposed to a more uniform application to include other areas.
"It seems we're going in the wrong direction, especially with the recent news reports of contamination in our water supply."
Coleman stated he understands the benefits of treated sludge to croplands, but the long-term health of the county waters is his concern.
"We need to treat our good, clean water with the utmost respect. There are a lot of risks in doing this - in comparison, it may not be as lucrative as it now seems.
"We need to push for using Class A biosolids instead of Class B," added Coleman.
Class A biosolids are sold in stores as fertilizer and are treated more tha Class B.
County resident Karen W. Fisher also has concerns about use of Class B biosolids.
In a letter to the editor dated January 29, Fisher posed some questions she felt needed answering involving current regulations set by the federal government and the Biosolids Use Regulations outlined for the commonwealth of Virginia.
Fisher questioned if the climate in Halifax County promoted quick decomposition of the wastes being applied, and the time of year the solids would be applied.
Fisher, as did Coleman, questioned the possible threat of runoff into nearby steams and rivers.
Fisher's concerns extend to possible exposure risks to both the workers in Class B biosolids plants and the landowners themselves, stating a report by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) that found infections in five workers in a biosolid plant.
According to NIOSH, those infections could be related to the exposure to organisms in the wastes, and recommended more stringent guidelines for workers in biosolids.
Fisher added that, in recent years, dioxins have been found in treated wastes, stating in her letter that the EPA has said there appears to be no "safe level" of dioxin.
"Dioxin intake is primarily from the ingestion of animal products, but those animals must take in dioxin by drinking contaminated water and plants and then store it in the fatty tissues where it accumulates in higher concentrations.
"Can we accept a reasonably sure level of dioxin [a known carcinogen linked to disorders of the reproductive, immune and endocrine systems] in biosolids?" Fisher asked.
Fisher's final concern is with the limited EPA monitoring of the sites that receive biosolids, with the safety of human health and the environment in mind.

First impressions aren't always accurate, and the same can be said for first perceptions.
The Halifax County Career Center recently celebrated its one-year anniversary and had its first graduation ceremony last week.
The quiet, friendly and orderly atmosphere at the center contrasts with the perception that it's a last chance for those who can't make it at the high school level.
"We look for the hidden 30 percent of students who don't fit in the general mold of high school- they're not troublemakers," said Career Center Principal Jacqueline Venable.
Both Venable and Kathreen "Kat" Puryear, school-to-work coordinator at the center, defended their students against views that their students were there due to their being troublemakers with behavioral problems in other school environments.
Rather, the Career Center is an alternative educational source, concentrating primarily on vocational skills.
"Over the past few years, the county came to the realization that there was a need for education outside the normal framework of the high school environment," said Venable.
"There was concern that some students may not be able to adapt to the rigid standards imposed by the Standards of Learning (SOL) tests."
According to Venable, a number of students have abilities, but not necessarily in the academic environment, being inclined more toward vocational skills.
The Career Center is a practical alternative for students not going to a four-year college, but according to Venable, graduates are encouraged to continue their training in apprenticeships and two-year programs with Danville and Southside Virginia Community colleges.
"There's such a need in this county and state-wide for a place such as this," said Puryear.
"Technical skills are 'in' right now - we're teaching tangible things to students."
The center is equipped with 56 computer stations that are fully loaded with GED preparation software, a guidance information program, pre-employment software, and other programs that assist students in achieving educational goals, life skills and employability skills.
Employability skills are obviously important in Halifax County, which has one of the highest illiteracy rates in the commonwealth.
Both Puryear and Venable agreed that without a high school diploma or GED, one has little chance of obtaining meaningful employment in the county.
"It's a challenge - most students have no work history," said Puryear.
"We help them to achieve that work experience as they're educated," said Puryear, adding that transportation is a continuing obstacle as well, in a county as large as Halifax.
"They are very willing students who want to work, but they can't get there."
Other communities are coming to view the Halifax County Career Center as a model for centers in their own areas.
"We're the only facility that offers GED preparation for students and adults in our area," said Venable, adding that they test students from Pittsylvania, Mecklenburg and Charlotte counties on a regular basis.
"No other program has classroom teaching, counseling and employment placement," said Joan Bowers, drop-out prevention coordinator.
"Our goal is to provide the community with contributing, capable citizens."
Venable gives a great deal of credit to Halifax County School Superintendent Dennis Witt and the Board of Supervisors for their initiative in starting the center, which is primarily funded by the county.
Albert Thornton Randolph, principal of Halifax County High School, is also a supporter.
A number of students utilize the high school's vocational classes.
The Career Center does not intend to rest on its laurels, and hopes to increase enrollment from 60 to 100 students next year. It is also looking at adding a professional services program to its curriculum.
The program offered at the Career Center is designed to allow students to earn their GED and choose from a series of occupational opportunities that will provide training in those fields.
Automotive servicing, CNA nursing, food service, masonry, mechanics, office services and printing are some of the possible career opportunities available through the program at the Career Center.
"The best opportunity for success is to enjoy what you're doing," said Venable, adding that the center assists people in finding their place in the working world, one that would best benefit them and their community.

By MICHAEL A. PAIGE
Focus.
That is what Halifax County Middle School boys' basketball coach Mike Hailey is emphasizingas his team prepares for the Southside Middle School Basketball Tournament.
Tonight, in effect, marks the the beginning of a second season for the Lions who will face Amelia Middle School, the fourth seed from the West Division, here at 7 p.m. in one of the tournament quarter-final games.
Halifax comes into the tournament as the regular season champions with a 8-0 conference record and 12-1 overall.
They will face an opponent that was 4-4 in the West Division.
" I think we'll be well prepared," coach Mike Hailey said although at the time, he knew nothing about which team he would have to face.
However, Hailey said his team was practicing well with a sharpness and intensity that he is pleased with and he has attempted to refocus the players to the period of when the season started in order to recreate that intensity and tension that prepare the team for their first game.
"This is a one-loss-and-you're-out tournament and we can't afford to be unprepared physically and especially mentally," Hailey said.
While the Lions worked out their routines in practice Monday, Hailey said it was hard to tell whether 13- and 14-year-old kids were pumped up for the tournament.
Hailey said he has tried to impress on them that "it would be a real shame to have the kind of year that they've had and then either not play in the finals of the tournament or get to the finals and not win it because we are, I think without question, the most talented team, but we're certainly not infallible."
"We've had a couple of close games and it could happen again. And if we're not ready, especially mentally, then we could get bumped off," Hailey said.
"Park View can bump us out and certainly E. W. Wyatt can do it so we've got to get that emotional intensity to avoid that and be ready to play every night," Hailey added.
The Lions will not be at full strength on the roster, however, the starting five will be ready.
"I've lost one player because of grades, another is out because of an illness and he's in the hospital so I doubt he'll play in the tournament," Hailey said.
Another player had a broken tooth and was going to the dentist and Hailey wasn't sure Monday whether the player would be ready for today's game.
"He may get to play some in the tournament in crucial situations," Hailey said.
"We're not at full strength, but we're at full strength where we need to be and that is the starting five," Hailey added.
Although Hailey said he knew little about the other teams in the West Division, he did point out that Lunenburg Middle School was undefeated in that division, and that a bottomed-ranked team from the East Division beat Lunenburg (8-0) by 15 points during a scrimmage game, or so he was told.
With the West Division considered much weaker than the East, the Lions will need to keep that intensity alive for what could be a very exciting tournament season.