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budget. He said that as the academic teams grow, there is a need for more resources so that more people can participate in these activities. H? explained how many skills are gained from belonging to an academic team. He asked that the Board support the future of academic teams and conside- funding this expansion item. Eleanor Kinnaird, Mayor of Carrboro, spoke on behalf of the Friends of the Library. She feels that, as elected officials, they have a duty to provide the necessities for their constituents. She noted that she works with prisoners who cannot read, spell, construct a sentence or express themselves. She feels that an enhanced learning background for children will very often change lives. Studies have shown that libraries are crucial in this process. The people they want to serve are those who do not have the means to buy books. Barbara Dewey, resident of Orange County for 27 years and a member of the Friends of the Carrboro Library, stated that the Friends are working on establishing a branch of the orange County Public Library in Carrboro. once the library is established, the Friends group will continue.. to serve as a service?and.& support group for that library. She is delighted at the County Manager's decision to include $40,000 in the budget for a branch library in Carrboro. This will allow them to utilize the school building while at the same time extend the hours of the library service for the school. She noted that $40,000 is not enough. They are $12,000 short of their minimum budget. She asked that the Board consider increasing the $40,000. She feels that there is a serious problem with providing library services to all citizens in orange County. She read some statistics which she distributed and asks that the Board consider increasing the $40,000 and that they do their oi-, research into the library services in Orange County. Linda Carver, kindergarten/first grade teacher in orange County, stated that children come to school with a lot more problems now than before. It is taking a lot more professional training for teachers to deal with the problems of children today. She asked that the County Commissioners take this into consideration when considering the supplements requested in.the budget. She asked that the request for technology specialists..be...._.__ reconsidered because they are needed to maintain the equipment and train the teachers. Rick Kennedy asked that the Board add 1/2 cents to the tax rate to pay for teacher supplements for the county schools. These supplements will enable the system to hire and maintain good teachers. He supports zero based funding. The orange County Schools do not have any reserve funds. He asked that the Board consider increasing the impact fees. He suggested meeting with the two school boards to look at the changes that have taken place over the last few years. Dave Laudicina is a father of a kindergarten student at New Hope who will attend Grady Brown next year. He has some concerns about competitive salaries for the teachers. His other concern is technology. He feels that technology specialists are needed. Stephen Kegg, representing the Orange Federation of Teachers, thanked the administration and the Orange County School Board for recommending a 3%