Agenda - 03-05-2003 - 9a - Laserfiche WebLink

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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: March 5, 2003 Action Agenda Item No. ~` - q SUBJECT: Establishment of Board Goal to Examine Possible School Merger DEPARTMENT: County Commissioners PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No ATTACHMENT(S): Proposed Goal Statement 1 /25/03 Merger Proposal from INFORMATION CONTACT: Moses Carey, 245-2125 Commissioner Carey TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Hillsborough 732-8181 Chapel Hill 968-4501 Durham 688-7331 Mebane 336-227-2031 PURPOSE: To consider whether to establish a formal Board of Commissioner goal that would call for an examination of the implications of merging the Orange County Schools and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools into one school system. BACKGROUND: At the January 25, 2003 annual planning retreat of the Orange County Board of Commissioners, the BOCC discussed a proposal by Commissioner Carey that would lead to merger between Orange County's two school systems. The County Attorney briefly outlined the alternative processes laid out in the North Carolina General Statutes for initiating and completing a merger of school systems.. Individual commissioners expressed differing degrees of interest in pursuing school. merger, but there was consensus that the Board should obtain a detailed analysis of the pros, cons, and other implications of a potential .merger before considering a formal decision on whether or not to merge the school systems. Staff have developed a list of questions and topics that could be specifically examined in the coming months to assist the BOCC in making a decision whether or not to pursue merger. Extensive analysis and input will be required of County and School staffs, working in conjunction with elected officials, to assist the Board in making a determination on this topic. The Board may wish to add to, delete from, or otherwise modify this list and the proposed goal statement that contains it before charging the Manager and staff with performing the necessary analysis. The Manager recommends that the Board plan to receive a report on this matter in August 2003, and to proceed with preparing operating and capital budgets for FY 2003-04 under the existing two-school system arrangement. FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with establishing the list of questions and topics to be analyzed with regard to school merger. However, a subsequent decision on whether or not to merge the two school systems is likely to have substantial financial impacts given that public education comprises approximately fifty percent of the County's $120 million annual operating budget.