Minutes - 03-27-2000 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioner Gordon said that the Board of County Commissioners has articulated a desire to use benchmarks and the school boards have articulated some concern and have asked far a work group. She asked if the concerns are just going to be articulated tonight and if the recommendation would come back to the County Commissioners for a discussion. She hoped that there would be a consensus. Keith Caok said that he was hoping that the County Commissioners would not move ahead with one of the five plans presented to the school boards in December, but would continue meeting until more of a consensus could be reached. Chair Carey said that he did not see much change in perception between the two school boards and the individual roles of school board members. The County Commissioners must balance the needs of all sectors of the population in Orange County. Obviously, the dialog will not stop and the process will not end. Susan Halkiotis asked about the timeline and Chair Carey said that he would like for school board members to make any comments to him or Commissioner Jacobs by this Friday. He plans to present a recommendation to the County Commissioners next Tuesday far discussion and a decision. Commissioner Halkiotis suggested that the recommendation be presented next Tuesday for further discussion. He does not think that a consensus can be reached. Commissioner Jacobs said that one of the objectives was to have this process in place for this year's budget cycle. He said that we would learn from this experience and move forward. Bob Bateman said that the Orange County School Board has not had an opportunity to discuss this recommendation. He would like to delay a decision until the Orange County School Board has had an opportunity to discuss and make comments. He feels that mandates' needs to be defined. He said that it was hard far him to accept a mandate from a governor who is going out of business and wanting to have the best school system in the state. He said that both school systems have come a long way historically. He feels that the definition of mandate is in the eye of the beholder. John Link said that this item is on the agenda next Tuesday night as a report which means that the County Cammissianers will discuss this item and will probably come back at a subsequent meeting with a decision within the next two to three weeks. b. ProgramlStafflFacility Initiatives with Significant 2000-2001 Budgetary Impacts John Link said that this material was provided by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School system . Superintendent Neil Pedersen made reference to the memo in the agenda packet dated February 10, 2000. He said that the school population is growing at a rapid rate. They expect to have an additional 600 students next fall. This translates into some additional expenses for the Chapel Hill- Carrboro City School system. He said that this is the fourth and last year of the Excellent Schools Act and this puts a strain on the school's budget with regard to compensation. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School system is going to try to be more competitive and increase compensation this year. Commissioner Gordon made reference to the comment about teacher salaries and said that compared with other salaries, teacher's salaries are not very high. If we value education and value our students, we need to pay the teachers. She asked for existing class sizes and targets for reduction. Commissioner Halkiotis asked far clarification on per pupil allocations. Neil Pedersen said that he has not received a per pupil allocation for 300-400 students this year. Randy Bridges said that the Orange County schools have received the correct allocation. Commissioner Halkiotis suggested setting aside a contingency fund to handle increased population during the school year. Commissioner Gordon agrees that a contingency fund should be set up to handle increased population during the school year.