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what that might or might not be, whether we'll redistrict, when we might redistrict if we merge. And all of these are fears that are promulgated. I do believe that merger is the best solution to our problem of the disparity of the funding, but I also think it's the better solution for the vision of us as a County. As I understand it, every other aspect of this County is managed as a whole unit. Only the education system is divided into these two systems. And the division is just that; it's division. The separation of City and County into school systems has had for many years the undesirable result of creating an "us" versus "them" mentality on both sides of the line. This unfortunate animosity is an unacceptable handicap to County management. The irony of our two-system approach is that truly the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. As Chapel Hill and Carrboro grow they grab more of the resources available to both systems. Because of the nature of the two districts, the high commercial base and the higher, what I call lean base, in the north, the farming and forestry in the north, the south will continue to have exponential growth while the north will grow very little. Citizens in Chapel Hill and Carrboro benefit from water supplied from north of the line in the Cane Creek Reservoir, they benefit from the landfill space provided north of the line, and from the rural buffer that adds green quality to the lives of Chapel Hill and Carrboro residents. I know the Commissioners have worked hard to ensure that farms and forestry practices can survive, but there is a cost to this, and that cost is reflected in lower growth rates and a lower tax base for the north versus the south. There's no hope to equalized funding in the north with a separate district tax because there is not enough of a commercial base in the north. I don't think anyone's answer is to eliminate our green base. It is time for both the north and the south to understand that we compliment one another and are better managed as a unit. Others have and will continue to speak about the many specific advantages of merger, and others have and will speak to the specific problems of a separate district tax for Orange County Schools. I wish tonight to emphasize the vision we all want for our County -quality education for all of our children in one unified system. Please vote for merger. Thank you. Mark Costley: Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. I am a parent of a 2nd grader at Scroggs Elementary in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro system and a preschooler who will be in the system as well. I came here tonight in large respect to be educated about the issue and I suspect that I may not have it right. But it seems to me that, in large respect, the problem that has been described tonight is one of money, primarily. And the couple of speakers who said it wasn't about money primarily haven't been on point. It seems to me it is about money. It seems to me that it is about political will, the political will to explore alternatives other than merger. It also seems to me that it's about process. But ultimately, for everybody, it seems it ought to be about results. We all want what is best for all of our children. We want to find a solution that does not come at the expense of some children. We also are in a situation where we're dealing with something that is the most passionate and important issue for everyone. I know scores of families in Chapel Hill-Carrboro who live there because of the school system; who chose to live there because of the school system and who obviously are frightened by the prospect of merger. The things that you are talking about doing are undermining the very choice that they made to live in this system. And they're afraid of change. And can understand that and I hope you will. But, again, when you're talking about this