The Shadow
When Covington City and Alleghany County schools merge on July 1, they won’t be getting the Composite Index they were hoping for.
The Composite Index determines how much the state will pay for schools and how much they expect from localities.
The combined Alleghany Highlands School Division will have a Composite Index of 2.900. The lower the index, the more money schools receive from the state.
“We all hoped it would come back in a little lower than that,” but it didn’t,” Covington City Schools Superintendent Melinda Snead-Johnson said Monday night.
Snead-Johnson made her remarks at a Covington School Board meeting.
Currently, Covington has a Composite Index of 2.913. Alleghany County’s is 2.819.
“It’s not something you can appeal, regardless of what we think,” said Jonathan Arritt, vice chairman of the school board. “It wasn’t what we expected.”
“There were several rural areas in Virginia that were also surprised,” Arritt noted.
The Local Composite Index determines a school division’s ability to pay education costs fundamental to the commonwealth’s Standards of Quality (SOQ). The Composite Index is calculated using three indicators of a locality’s ability-to-pay:
— True value of real estate.
— Adjusted gross income.
— Taxable retail sales.
“It’s certainly a math problem and a lot of math problems are performed inaccurately,” said school board member Jay Woodson.
Board Chairman Bert Baker said the school board can request more information from the state to help clarify questions surrounding the Composite Index.
“it is what it is, but we can inquire for more information,” he said.
Student enrollment also factors into state funding. Snead-Johnson said Covington currently has 912 students.
“It has held steady since last month,” she said.
As the merger with Alleghany County draws closer, Snead-Johnson and Alleghany County Superintendent Kimberly Halterman have been working to blend policy manuals. Jackson River Technical Center’s policy manual has also been part of the review. Snead-Johnson said the review found 175 differences between the three policy manuals.
Monday night, Snead-Johnson presented the school board with the first batch of proposed changes that will need to be made. The school board was asked to review the proposals and consider approving them in January.
Woodson suggested that a committee be appointed to handle the work, with each school board having representation.
“I am just afraid that a working group is going to get bogged down in this, section by section,” Arritt said.
Snead-Johnson said she will discuss Woodson’s suggestion with Halterman before the school board meets in January.
The board has been unable to reach a consensus on a COVID-19 leave policy for employees. Snead-Johnson presented the board with information packets Monday and suggested they come up with ideas in January.
“I think each of you can tell us what you don’t like about it and what we need to do with it,” she said.
The superintendent said she is closely monitoring COVID case numbers in the area. She said cases are increasing again in schools and in the general population.
“Our case numbers are increasing. We are seeing some additional uptick since the Thanksgiving holiday and we may see more after Christmas,” Snead-Johnson said.
In recent meetings, some school board members have voiced concerns over the Virginia School Boards Association and its affiliation with the National School Boards Association. In particular, concerns have been voiced over the National School Boards Association’s political agenda.
Snead-Johnson said that at a recent meeting, the Virginia School Boards Association voted to end its relationship with the national association.
