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14 <br />• the impact of changes in the state-supported education program on the facility needs of local <br />school systems; <br />• the need, if county governments are to remain responsible for school facility needs, for county <br />commissioners to have the authority to assure that funds appropriated to meet these needs are <br />used accordingly; <br />• and the problems experienced by counties, particularly suburban counties in areas surrounding <br />metropolitan areas, in which growth in school population is not matched by growth in county <br />revenue. <br />Further, the Association believes that county commissioners together with the state must be diligent in <br />carrying out their financing responsibility for school facilities. Adequate capital financing arrangements <br />will necessitate strong attention to long-range financial planning. School building needs of necessity <br />must be considered in the context of all facilities that commissioners are required to finance. <br />County Commissioners and Local Boards <br />Especially in the area of attaining sufficient state financing for a quality basic education, commissioners <br />and local school board members can be more effective by acting cooperatively to promote <br />improvements in public education. <br />Joint cooperative action between boards of county commissioners and local school boards is essential to <br />the successful delivery of excellent public education. The free exchange of information and' ideas among <br />the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, the North Carolina School Boards Association <br />and the North Carolina Department of Public Education is likewise necessary to promote understanding <br />of the variety and complexity of issues related to public education. <br />The Association strongly urges the General Assembly to support counties in their efforts to fund no <br />more than one school system per county in order to better utilize school facilities and financial <br />resources. Taxation for local support of public education should be vested exclusively with boards of <br />county commissioners. <br />Community Colleges <br />North Carolina's community colleges are critical components of the state's integrated efforts to prepare <br />youth and adults for constructive participation in a constantly changing economy. The NCACC recognizes. <br />the counties' statutory responsibility to provide financial support for plant operations, maintenance and <br />capital construction, but also supports additional state funds to help counties address construction <br />needs due to increased enrollments and aging facilities. To meet North Carolina's changing workforce <br />demands, the NCACC supports increased state funding to train and retrain both young students and <br />adult citizens. <br />