1994-09-14 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Rew Edwards stated that he would like to discuss the School's hiring practices at the next School Board/Council meeting. Mr. T. Lewis gave an update on the alternative school. Ten students were enrolled in the school on the first day of school, ages 14 to 16, with parental consent, and are currently housed in the First Baptist Church on West Main Street pending renovations to the permanent site. Mr. Vandever acknowledged the tremendous effort of school staff in getting the alternative program started. Ms. Elizabeth Gleason, Chair of the Charlottesville Performing Arts Center (PAC) Advisory Task Force, stated that the salient issues discussed by the Task Force were rate setting and governance issues. The Task Force felt that the PAC should have a more defined structural setup and should be governed by an independent group. Mr. Toscano stated that the financing of the PAC is an important issue, and that if something is not changed there will be insufficient funds to operate it. Mr. Toscano stated that it is estimated to cost $200,000 a year to operate the PAC, though only $100,000 in revenues are received with the remaining amount subsidized by the Schools and City. Mr. Toscano stated that following a general discussion, it was hoped that the School Board and Council would then follow-up with separate discussions of the issues. Responding to a question from Ms. Slaughter regarding the existing demand for cultural activities at the PAC, Ms. Seaman stated that that information was probably available with the director of the PAC. Mr. Toscano stated that the demand would probably need to be found out through a marketing study. Responding to a question from Ms~ Seaman about interest in working with the University and Albemarle County regarding the PAC, Ms. Gleason stated that was a recommendation of the Task Force. Dr. Robert Bloodgood, School Board member, stated that he felt the Task Force's report was excellent, but expressed concern that if the PAC was governed by an independent board and if County funding was received, then there was a danger of treating the City schools as just another customer for the PAC, though he acknowledged that those recommendations were probably good ones. Dr. Bloodgood continued that he was concerned that the hourly rate that might be charged to the schools would hamper use by the schools. It was pointed out that the schools currently subsidize the PAC with $t00,000, and that a pool of money could be set aside for future school use. Mr. Melvin Reese of the City schools, stated that a more accurate estimate of the cost of operating the PAC would be available if the PAC was put on separate meters for electric and heating/cooling systems which could be done at a of cost approximately $10,000. Responding to a question from Ms. Daugherty about how the rates charged for the PAC compare with other localities, Ms. Linda Peacock, City staff for the Task Force, stated that the PAC's rates are low compared with other facilities throughout the state. Mr. Toscano stated that another issue for the management board of the PAC was the extent to which the PAC is needed for all rehearsal time for local groups. Mr. Toscano stated that he did not think it was possible to retain the City School's arts programs and eliminate the subsidy, but noted that tradeoffs exist on most issues. Ms. Daugherty recommended that staffand/or some of the Task Force members develop a draft mission statement for the PAC and set priorities for its use. Dr. Bloodgood suggested that consideration be given to making a distinction between use of the PAC during schools hours versus other hours.