A testing scandal at William Fleming High School has cost the Roanoke school system almost $52,000 in salaries and legal fees so far, with no resolution in sight, according to documents obtained by The Roanoke Times.

The district has paid the Richmond law firm of Reed Smith $17,892.78 over the past two months to help school administrators determine the fate of the five Fleming administrators caught up in Standards of Learning testing irregularities. Meanwhile, the school system has also paid out almost $34,000 in salaries to Fleming administrators named in a state report as being the architects of the testing scheme.

The expenses come at a time when the city school system is suffering significant financial strain. A budget shortfall that at one point reached $16 million has forced the school system to close two schools and lay off 58 employees.

"Of course that concerns me," Superintendent Rita Bishop said. "It's terrible timing."

Officials have declined to comment on the employment status of five administrators named in the report since the scandal came to light.

But records obtained through the Virginia Freedom of Information Act show that they continued to draw paychecks despite their absence from school functions, suggesting they have been placed on paid leave.

Principal Susan Willis, identified in the state report as the person behind the testing manipulations, has been paid $12,619.34 since June 1, part of her annual salary of $100,955. She has hired legal help of her own as well as a public relations firm. Her attorney, James Thorsen of Richmond, did not return calls for comment.

Doris Ennis, a retired former superintendent of Roanoke schools, has agreed to take over as interim head of William Fleming High School. She will be responsible for opening the school's new $57 million building, which will welcome its first students when school starts on Sept. 8.

Two weeks ago, the school board accepted the retirements of former Fleming Assistant Principal William Downie and former special education department Chairwoman Brenda Hairston, two other administrators named in the state report. Downie had been paid almost $8,000 in salary since the testing irregularities surfaced and Hairston had been paid about $6,400.

The board also demoted former Fleming guidance coordinator Keith Smith to a position as gym teacher at James Madison Middle School. Smith's annual salary will drop from $70,500 to $58,800. The fifth person named by the state's investigation, former assistant principal Michael Hill, announced his intention to leave the district before the problems at the school were made public.

"For legal reasons, the board is not privy to the details of the investigation involving Fleming," school board Chairman David Carson said. "However, I am deeply troubled by the precious time, money and resources that the district is having to devote at the situation at a time when we should be celebrating the tremendous accomplishments this district has made thanks to its outstanding teachers and students."

Kathleen Mehfoud, the Reed Smith attorney who represents the school system, did not return calls for comment. Another attorney, Tim Spencer from the city attorney's office, is representing the school board in the matter. The school system does not pay for the services of the city attorney's office.

According to a team of investigators from the Virginia Department of Education, William Fleming administrators had been secretly altering course schedules for students with disabilities to exclude them from the required Standards of Learning tests at the end of the year.

Although such changes are illegal without parental consent, excluding certain students from the tests would artificially increase William Fleming's pass rates and bolster the school's reputation, according to the report. A separate investigation by Roanoke school administrators recently found that the testing manipulations extended beyond special education students.

Affected students are being offered remediation courses at Forest Park Academy this summer. The school system, in a report to the state, also promised to improve its testing practices. Administrators will now regularly check student schedules and students' participation on Standards of Learning tests.

Officials are also supposed to tighten security around testing and beef up efforts to track down students who don't show up for tests.