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Laura Trinka spoke in support of full funding for the Orange County School Board's budget request. Donnie Black, an Orange County resident and a parent, requested that the Board of County Commissioners fully fund the school boards budget request. Delores Simpson, a member of the Orange County School Board, spoke in support of this budget request. The School Board is 100% behind this budget proposal. Student performance and test scores are on the rise. The full funding of this budget will assure that the trend continues. Burnice Wilson, a school social worker for Orange County schools, spoke for all of the school support nurses, social workers and families who were unable to attend. This budget must be approved. The support staff and nurses hope that the Board of County Commissioners will respond to their needs by approving this budget request. Wanda Whitford, a parent of 5 children, stated that she fully supported the requests made in this budget. This budget supports the needs of the students and the staff at each of the schools. There being no further comments, the Public Hearing was closed. The School Board members present were invited to the front of the room to participate in a worksession with the Board of Commissioners. WORK SESSION: Mark Royster, Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board member, thanked County Manager John Link and the Board of County Commissioners for their equitable approach to funding both of the school systems. He stated that this was a very difficult year for the school board. There are no frills in this budget request. The term "discretionary" is misleading in that it implies that they are optional and not needed. The reality is that each of these items is sorely needed. He requested that a new word be sought that more clearly described what is meant by this term. Neil Pedersen provided a brief overview of the School Board's budget request. He thanked the Board of Commissioners and County Manager John Link for the recommended increase. With the opening of two new schools, however, that amount is not sufficient to cover the cost of starting up those schools. The issue of salary compression is very real for the school administration and must be dealt with. It does not support the education goals of the school system to have the support staff falling behind in salary each year. He requested an additional sum of money for start-up costs. One cent of the district tax could be allocated for planning for new schools. The items listed under discretionary are not optional. For example, the recycling coordinator is necessary in order to comply with the legally required 40% reduction in the waste stream. Commissioner Crowther pointed out that Orange County is committed to funding education. The average spending for school needs is 35%. Orange County spends over 45% of the budget for the school and if the discretionary items were added it would be over 50%. Orange County is to be commended for their commitment to education. Other County Departments have had zero growth for the last two years which has caused a strain in those areas of service. Chair Carey agreed that the Board of Commissioners have done the best job possible under the circumstances. Commissioner Willhoit commented that Orange County is Number Three in the State for per pupil allocations of local resources. That is a move from #15 in 1991. There has been a tremendous boost toward equalized spending for the two schools. The growth in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro System has caused there to be a tremendous growth in funding. The current expense allocation has more than doubled, from 10 million to 21 million dollars. It was suggested that the terms used in the budget process, in particular, the word "discretionary" be re-evaluated and more accurate words be chosen wherever possible.