SAM DEAN The Roanoke Times

The Roanoke County School Board says it will save $507,000 by closing Bent Mountain Elementary School.

Two Roanoke County residents at a meeting Thursday evening beseeched the school board not to close Bent Mountain Elementary School and transfer students to Back Creek Elementary School.

"I plead with you as a concerned mother, citizen and taxpayer, please do not overcrowd our schools," said Kimberly Poff.

Steve Martin called the school, where 53 students currently are enrolled, the focal point of the community.

Some members of the community near the outskirts of the county think their corner is being targeted unfairly even though talks of closing Bent Mountain Elementary date back at least seven years. Sweeping countywide cuts and changes, including increasing the elementary pupil-teacher ratio, will have to be considered in order to close a multimillion dollar shortfall.

School officials announced earlier this week plans to close the small Southwest Roanoke County elementary school, which will save the division about $507,000.

Closing Bent Mountain is one of about a dozen budget cuts Superintendent Lorraine Lange proposed Thursday evening. The cuts totaling more than $2.4 million are the first steps the school board is taking to close a projected $8 million gap.

"When you have to cut so many millions you are looking for cuts with a lot of zeroes on the end," said school board member Jerry Canada.

Another approximate half-million dollars will be saved by eliminating the Central Middle School remediation program. The school board moved the program out of a Vinton facility and split it into two programs at Northside and William Byrd middle schools to save on utilities and other operational costs. Students from the county's three other middle schools are bused to one of the participating schools. By discontinuing the program and returning about 60 students to their home schools, the division can reduce 11 full-time employee positions.

"We have to cut the personnel department because that is our biggest area," said Chairman Mike Stovall.

The board put the division's high school principals in the hot seats at Thursday's meeting to discuss scheduling options that potentially could reduce the number of teachers needed. The board said they do not anticipate implementing scheduling changes, such as block scheduling, for the 2010-11 school year but asked high school administrators to look for ways to cut costs.

"We have done away with all the composition books, copy machines ... what are the other things we can cut?" asked school board member David Wymer.

Other first-round budget cuts include:

n Reducing central office staff positions: $317,296

n Combining driver's education and health curriculums: $178,737

n Eliminating school board-funded field trips: $24,000

n Discontinuing sixth grade intramurals: $8,901

Also at Thursday's meeting, the board announced the retirement of Back Creek Elementary Principal Karen Mabry. Mabry will retire July 1 and Bent Mountain Elementary Principal Virginia Sharp will become principal at Back Creek.