The Virginian-Pilot
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NORFOLK
The city can do more to support Norfolk's schools, but that doesn't mean a tax increase is coming, City Manager Marcus Jones said Thursday.
"I'm not suggesting we raise taxes, and I'm not suggesting we do enough for education," Jones said at a town hall meeting on neighborhoods and schools hosted by City Council member Tommy Smigiel. At least 70 residents attended the gathering at Tarrallton Elementary.
Norfolk's local tax revenue has slumped in the past two years as the ailing economy undermined property assessments. Jones said his administration is responding by searching for ways city government can become more effective.
But he did not put a dollar amount on what more the city could provide the division.
Also present was Superintendent Richard Bentley, who said the School Board is examining how it can realign its budget to scrape up a 1 percent raise for school employees, now in their fifth year without a pay increase.
"I don't know if we're going to find a solution, but we're working toward it," Bentley said. The raise would cost the division $2.2 million.
Smigiel, who is a Granby High assistant principal, said improving neighborhoods and schools was the key to persuading commuters who work in Norfolk and live elsewhere to settle in the city.
"If we have strong schools, if we have strong neighborhoods, it creates economic development," he said. "And everybody is happy."
Steven G. Vegh, (757) 446-2417, steven.vegh@pilotonline.com
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CITY MANAGER MARCUS JONES SAYS:
"IM NOT SUGGESTING WE RAISE TAXES, IM NOT SUGGESTING THAT WE RAISE SUGGESTIONS. IM NOT EVEN RAISING SUGGESTIONS FOR TAXES. I SUPPOSE THAT SUGGESTING THAT WE ADVOCATE CONJECTURES ON THE SUBJECT OF TAXES MAY BE A SUPPOSITION WITH LONG TERM PROSPECTS. I WILL CLEARLY STATE THAT THE SUGGESTION THAT I AM IN ANY WAY PREPARED TO PUT ON TO TAXES IS AN UNCLEAR MESSAGE TO THE PEOPLE OF MY DISTRICT, HOWEVER I WILL DO MY UTMOST TO SUGGEST THAT WE SO SOMETHING TO HELP THE NORFOLK PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT TO ACT ON APPROPRIATE MATTERS OF IMPORTANCE."
1% Over the Course of a Year!!!
Don't slap me in the face with the $15 per pay check. Build the courthouse, expand your virtually free light rail, and create pet projects!! Government officials, the school board, nor the school administration live for children who: can't read, have already served time upstate, are 6 months pregnant by a family "friend", fall asleep in class after caring for baby brother all night, fall asleep to the sound of gunshots, are steeped in gang involvement with no hope, or are working 30 hrs a week for the family. We stand in the middle of fights, teach them the difference b/t right and wrong, and love them while striving to be Globally Competitive. We will continue to wage a private war against illiteracy and human degradation without them.
Tax relief
If the teachers don't want it, then allocate the savings to tax relief.
They're looking....
….for two point two million for a whopping one percent raise for the teachers. The nine hundred thousand plus good ole Tommy voted to give the Y would have taken a big hunk out of the raise money.
How about raises for the Fire and Police Departments, Tommy?
I am for raises for all employees
R Clarence - The money used to fund the YMCA project came out of a neighborhood fund account and could not have funded raises for our employees - oranges and apples. When I ran for office I said that I would support projects for our neighborhoods and schools. The YMCA is a public-private partnership that is an investment for our neighborhoods.
I am a huge proponent of making sure all of our employees receive a raise. Most of our employees have seen a decrease in their salaries because of the increase of health insurance premiums. If you attended the town hall meeting last night, you would have heard me voice my concerns about our employees not receiving raises and my support for finding the money to make it happen.
I have a way, Tommy. Make
I have a way, Tommy. Make the cronies stop wasting OUR money on idiotic projects like the Light FAIL, paying useless out-going city managers hush money (Regina) and doing studies as to how to make Waterside profitable. Sell it to a developer and then stay the heck OUT of it! Make McGlone repay the money that she effectively stole by NOT working for 12 years. The city just had to repay the state (or was it feds) $185K! That would have gone a LONG way to giving teachers a raise! This city is mis-managed and will be a ghost town if it keeps up. As a lifelong resident I resent the blatant waste and the fools who keep re-electing the same complacent idiots to council!
1 percent raise for school employees
I’m sure many deserve it and many deserve much more, but I don’t see how this will help the kids anymore than giving out bonuses to existing employees from stimulus money created jobs.
Uhhh Marcus??
I hate to be the reality check Marcus, but you DO realize that a great many of Norfolk's private sector workforce are actually taking pay cuts to remain employed? Are you that oblivious to the real world.