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Wood, Montague then told of Delegate Slaughter’s effort to have legislation enacted which would allow rural counties such as Rappahannock substitute extended preschool summer program for fullfledged kindergarten programs. TTie Council of Local Governments is lobbying strongly for the legislation, said Montague, but he added that he understood that the legislation would still leave it up to the State Board of Education as to whether the alternative could be adopted or not.
Norton added that Rappahannock has been prompt in enacting all “standards of excellence” up to this point, especially in providing for vocational training and education for exceptional children. He also thought that consolidating elementary schools had meant a great deal in improving educational opportunities in the county over the past ten years. The pupilteacher ration has been reduced from 1-35 to 1-25, he said, and improvements continue in the face of reduced state funding help and diminishing sales tax revenues coming to the county.
“I think the State Board of Education sympathized with our budget problems,” said Norton, and that they had especially been impressed by the argument about declining elementary enrollment in the county. He said the Boardmen concluded that since delays had been granted other counties when building programs lagged, it was felt Rappahannock qualified under the same precedents.
“MY PITCH was mainly political,” said Luke. “But oge thing that has always ranked me is that
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