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549 <br />MINUTES <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />SPECIAL MEETING <br />SCHOOL CAPITAL NEEDS WORK SESSION <br />OCTOBER 5, 1993 <br />The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in Special Session on <br />Tuesday, October 5, 1993, at 7:30 p.m. at the EMS Training Facility on New <br />Hope Church Road, Hillsborough, North Carolina, for the purpose of <br />discussing School Capital Issues. <br />COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chairman Moses Carey, Jr., and <br />Commissioners Don Willhoit, Verla Insko, and Alice Gordon. <br />COMMY COMMISSIONER ASSENT: Commissioner Stephen Halkiotis <br />STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John Link, Jr., Assistant County <br />Manager Rod Visser, Deputy Clerk to the Board Kathleen Baker, Finance <br />Director Ken Chavious, and Budget Director Sally Kost, . <br />John Link listed the major School Capital issues as stated below: <br />(1) the present funding policy of earmarking 80% of Article 40 Sales <br />Tax, 60; of Article 42 Sales Tax, $800,000 in property tax <br />(netting out debt service for 1977 school bonds) and the <br />equivalent of 2 cents in property tax (2.3 cents prior to <br />revaluation) to be applied toward debt service, <br />(2) additional school capital funding needs, including funding <br />additional elementary school space; financing options, and <br />(3) school construction standards and classroom size standards for <br />construction of new facilities <br />John Link mentioned that the School Issues Task Force recommended <br />starting with the State standards and establishing a method for explaining <br />the need for higher standards within the two school districts. <br />. Commissioner Insko suggested creating a document which would list <br />state and local standards side-by-side, with an explanation for each local <br />standard which exceed the State recommendations. <br />Chair Carey indicated that it is essential to define standards so <br />that the public understands why there is a difference. Citizens are <br />willing to accept higher standards if they see the reason for them and <br />agree with that reasoning. <br />Commissioner Insko mentioned that historically Chapel Hill has <br />emphasized funding the operating budget, particularly teacher supplements. <br />The philosophy has been that the educational experience was primarily the <br />relationship between the student and teacher. The facility has been <br />considered secondary to the teaching relationship. If the facility has <br />become as important as the teaching relationship, the reasons for that