have to live with what the Board of Supervisors

have to live with what the Board of Supervisors does.”

Teachers support aides’ retention

During the earlier portion of the meeting for public comment on the budget only two people spoke. Helen LaCava, speaking for the Rappahan-« nock County Education Association, said, “We recommend the seven-period day and the electronic classroom at the high school. We recommend expanding the elementary Spanish and increasing remediation down to the lowest grade levels. But we are in agreement with Mrs. Butler. We have real misgivings and real questions about removing the aides from the Chapter One labs.”

Noting that Chapter One is intended to serve only those students falling between the 26th and 40th percentile, Mrs. LaCava suggested. “If the county were to hire the remedial teacher and leave the aides in the Chapter One labs, the teacher might serve the county in a better way.

“Since at least 1977 the Chapter One aides have been in their jobs. They asked me to bring you their thanks for the opportunity to serve here. They feel they have been performing a service necessary here.”

Switching from instruction to salaries, Mrs. LaCava continued, "We applaud the increase in the Master’s supplement. (The extra pay given to a teacher with a master’s degree has been $1,230. The supplement will rise to $1,330 under the new budget.) But if you divide this increase by 12 and take out for withholding, you won’t have a figure of more than one digit on the dollar side. We’re glad some attempt is being made to show that these people are deserving of a raise after eight years.

“We applaud raising the beginning teacher’s salary only if this is part of a program to beef up the whole scale. We don’t feel that a discrepancy of $10,000 between a beginning teacher and a teacher with 25 years' experience is something to be upset about. We are no longer housewives getting our egg money. Were raising families on these salaries. This is our career."