Agenda - 03-23-2000 - 4 - Laserfiche WebLink

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El Under this model, the per -pupil appropriation increases would be as follows: 1999 -2000 $2,256 (current year) 2000 -2001 $2,504 2001 -2002 $2,780 2002 -2003 $3,085 2003 -2004 $3,425 2004 -2005 $3,801 This "target" would provide a mechanism to project school spending once we agreed on the best set of student projections to use. The County Manager's staff also could project capital spending and, thereby, project the future expenditures for schools with the exception of the impact of the district tax. When combined with targets from the County Departments, the County would have a complete projection of county expenditures. The total budget picture could be fleshed out using assumptions about revenue projections and tax rates. Model 7 Model 7 is the same as Model 6; however, per -pupil funding increases would be at the 20 percent level. As stated earlier, the recent 11 percent per -pupil funding increases have allowed us to do little more than meet state mandates. Governor Hunt has called for North Carolina being Number 1 in education by 2010. Clearly, the Governor realizes that education is the fuel that feeds the economic engine of this state and this country. Likewise, our superintendent has challenged us to be the very best school district in the country. An increase of this magnitude would be consistent with these challenges and also would place less pressure on the CHCCS school district tax rate. The per -pupil appropriations under this model would be as follows: 1999 -2000 $2,256 (current year) 2000 -2001 $2,707 2001 -2002 $3,248 2002 -2003 $3,898 2003 -2004 $4,678 2004 -2005 $5,614 Model 8 The final model that we propose is to forego a formulaic approach to this issue and simply use sound reasoning and good judgement. This has worked well for this county and both school districts in years past. The governance system is designed for public comment and healthy debate on issues as important as the funding of our children's schools. Is it really in the best interests of our children to abandon this approach? In conclusion, we would like to reiterate what we heard both Mr. Carey and Mr. Jacobs state at our last meeting. No one is proposing a "cap" on school spending. Rather, we are discussing the development of "targets" for each school district to use in the development of its budget. Neither the school board nor the County Commissioners are relinquishing their responsibility to receive comments from our citizens and staff and to deliberate over competing priorities before appropriations and budgets are finalized.