Orange County NC Website
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^ During early 20t" century, numerous NC municipalities received authority from State <br />legislature to create special chartered school districts <br />^ Number of school systems in NC peaked in late 1950s at 174 <br />^ In 1960, Mecklenburg/Charlotte was first approved administrative unit merger in the <br />State <br />^ Currently, there are 117 local school administrative units in the State <br />Merger Consideration in Orange County <br />^ BOCC appointed School Merger Study Commission in 1985 to examine <br />potential impacts of merger <br />^ Recommendations of Study Commission (Appendix E) <br />^ Equalize per pupil funding countywide <br />^ Fund construction of new schools based on cooperative facilities plan developed <br />by both systems <br />^ Encourage school districts to investigate areas where economies may be <br />affected by joint operations such as transportation, food service & maintenance <br />^ Encourage school districts to pursue areas of educational cooperation such as <br />special services <br />Collaboration Efforts <br />Since 1988, funding for school construction and renovation projects has totaled $277 <br />million <br />. Includes four voter approved school capital bond referenda (1988, 1992, 1997 and <br />2001) <br />BOCC approved policies, standards and funding <br />. Capital funding policy that earmarks annual non-debt revenues available for <br />school and County capital projects <br />. Construction and funding standards for elementary, middle and high schools <br />. School construction impact fees to offset cost of new school construction <br />. Schools Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance and Memorandum of Understanding <br />(SAPFO) to pace development with the County's fiscal ability to build new schools <br />. Joint venture in bus transportation/maintenance/fueling <br />Funding Equity Between Systems Remains a Challenge <br />. In early 1990s, after examining numerous approaches and tax rate impacts <br />associated with achieving funding equity between the two school systems, BOCC <br />adopted "Equitable School Funding Goal" <br />Efforts in some years to reduce or hold the gap from growing have been impacted in <br />recent years by need to raise CHCCS district tax rate to address new school startup <br />costs <br />CHCCS special district tax accounts for funding disparity <br />. Produces about $12.5 million for FY 2003-04 <br />. Equates to about $1167 per student in additional funds <br />Funding equity remains a challenge for the BOCC <br />. In accordance with State statutory formula, local current expense funding for <br />schools is driven by the number of students in a school district <br />