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6 <br />the amount of money that would be available to fund schools. He stated that budgeting is a very different process <br />when you start with the overarching constraint. <br />Elizabeth Carter stated that they have long lists of needs from each school . As members of the School Board they <br />are speaking for the needs of the children. They have a responsibility to educate each student in the system. She <br />asked where would they get the money if not from the Board of County Commissioners? <br />Rick Kennedy stated that we need to look at the national cost per student. Per pupil allocations in Illinois are <br />$9,000 for each student. Those are the students Orange County students will be competing against in the job <br />market. He mentioned how critical it is for these students to have computers and other technical advantages in <br />order to compete in the job market. He feels that Orange County residents are already paying as much as they can <br />afford to pay and a district tax is not a workable solution for the Orange County system. There are many mandates <br />that the school system must address. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis mentioned that earlier in the week the Board of County Commissioners met with the <br />Orange County Legislative Delegation and were in the position that the School Boards find themselves this <br />evening. The Legislators spent some time telling the County Commissioners about financial constraints at the <br />State level. Over the years Orange County government has consistently increased funding for the two school <br />systems. In 1986 the per pupil allocation was $773 and in 1999 that same allocation has increased to $2,040. <br />Orange County has the highest allocation in the State. He stressed that they are trying to do the right thing by the <br />children and have shown that they are committed to the schools. Orange County is experiencing a new migration <br />of citizens. He asked the County Manager to distribute to the members of the two school boards a chart showing <br />the per pupil allocations for each county in the State. <br />Bob Bateman commented that the district tax is brought up at every joint Board of County Commissioners and <br />School Board discussion. He stated that this type of tax should not and would not pass in Orange County. The <br />Board of County Commissioners have done well funding the schools for the entire time that he has been involved <br />with the schools. However, he mentioned that along with the high funding comes high taxes. Orange County is <br />probably one of the top five taxed school systems in the state. He repeated that a district tax was not a solution to <br />funding for the Orange County systems. <br />Chair Gordon stated that the Board of County Commissioners have not decided on a particular course of action. <br />Rather this is a time for discussion of the various situations and possible options for future funding which is a <br />problem which must be solved jointly. The question is how to get a handle on the problem of growth not paying for <br />itself. An adequate public facilities ordinance is one possible solution. She stated that the Board of County <br />Commissioners share the School Board's commitment to education. <br />Keith Cook commented that even if there was no more growth there would still be a need for funding increases to <br />support the current needs of the students. He mentioned that diversifying the tax base in the Hillsborough area is <br />very important. <br />Commissioner Brown commented that she identifies with the struggle that the School Board members face in <br />fulfilling their mandate to provide an education to each and every student. There is a commitment on the part of the <br />Board of County Commissioners as well to provide a quality education. This needs to be a joint effort. Orange <br />County wants to pursue an AAA bond rating to assure that the schools will be financed in the best possible way. <br />She reiterated Commissioners Halkiotis' comments regarding advocating with the Legislators and their comments <br />that they would not be in a position to help with funding requests this year. <br />Ken Touw indicated that the only way to solve the difference that are presented to the Board of County <br />Commissioners for funding is to merge the school systems. The Board of County Commissioners have the power <br />to do that. He also pointed out that the only way to relieve the pressure on the County budget would be to give the <br />School Board's taxing authority. The proposal that John Link has presented of setting a fixed amount or <br />percentage will not relieve the political pressure that is on the County Commissioners. There will continue to be <br />grass roots support to meet the needs that have been identified by the individual schools. The two School Systems <br />will present a budget within the limits set by the Board of County Commissioners but they will also identify the other <br />needs that are not being met which means that the pressure to fund those needs will continue to be felt. Residential <br />development does not pay for itself and it seems that the towns are approving residential development but not <br />business development. This puts increased pressure on homeowners because of the lack of business <br />development. <br />CtA19990331 a.doc n