Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
2 <br />THERESA SMITH, an Orange County resident, requested that the <br />increase in funding for the schools be denied. Her daughter is <br />enrolled in the multiage program in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro School <br />System. She feels that this has been a completely ineffective <br />program. She commented that the sex education program was rushed <br />and poorly executed. Also, in her opinion the school within a <br />school program was not able to properly educate the students <br />enrolled due to the lack of teacher participation in the math <br />division. <br />DELORES PAYLOR, Principal of the UNC Hospital Schools, thanked <br />the Board of Commissioners on their support of the school system. <br />She commended their effort to put education first in Orange County <br />and requested that the Family Specialist and Mentoring Program be <br />funded. The volunteers who work in this program need to be <br />properly trained so that their time will be used to the best <br />advantage. <br />KAREN ALDRIDGE requested that additional Family Specialists <br />positions be funded. Family specialists help families identify why <br />their children are not learning as expected. This is an expense <br />that has a very high rate of return in terms of identifying the <br />needs of students. <br />JEAN COLE, a founding member of Putting Children First, <br />requested additional teachers and higher pay for all teachers. <br />This could be accomplished without raising taxes if less money was <br />spent on the administrative end of education. <br />INES MORCOMBE, an Orange County resident, spoke in support of <br />good schools without raising taxes further. She indicated that the <br />School Board has been involved in a legal battle with her family <br />because of damage done to her property which is adjacent to the <br />McDougle Middle School. She stated that money is being wasted in <br />unnecessary legal battles. <br />PETER MORCOMBE, a member of Putting Children First, commented <br />that he believes that the Chapel Hill/Carrboro School System is <br />participating in questionable programs. He believes that <br />curriculum restructuring is being done in order to create Outcome <br />Based Education (OBE). He asked that this experimentation be <br />discontinued. <br />WALT MARTIN spoke in favor of funding the Technology <br />Specialist. <br />ALAN BELCH, a member of Citizens for Open Communication and <br />Putting Children First, asked that the County not increase school <br />funding. The request for additional funding for the McDougle <br />Middle School is a result of poor planning by the administration <br />and should not be approved. <br />