Minutes - 03-27-2000 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Neil Pedersen said that he would be interested in making an adjustment in student figures during the year. He said that the state used to adjust the per pupil allocation after the 10th day of school, but it is now based on last year's enrollment or the state's projection for the next year. He would rather not do any late hiring of teachers, but have the County adjust the student figures up. John Link said that whatever decision is made would be an a per pupil basis. He would presume the Board of County Commissioners would make their decision prior to July 1St, otherwise there would have to be a continuing resolution, which means that the budget would be continued just as it was the prior year until the Board makes a decision. He said that the budget could be adopted with a contingency, and the adjustment would still have to be made on a per pupil basis. Commissioner Halkiotis made reference to the state law regarding the per pupil allocation and said that the state law may need to be changed to allow an allocation far an increase during the fiscal year. Randy Bridges said that Orange County schools do not have any new initiatives. He said that some things are non-negotiable such as teacher salaries, utilities, and charter schools. He said that another big issue is the startup casts for the new elementary school. c. Site Development Commissioner Jacobs made reference to the school construction standards and said that he feels that schools need to comply with all the development standards imposed upon all citizens in Orange County such as protecting existing vegetation, preserving buffers, trying to protect specimen trees, and trying to minimize erosion. He asked that the Schools and Land Use Councils consider this issue. Commissioner Brown made reference to the definition of mandates and the general understanding of school standards. She asked if this discussion could continue with other people and if there could always be a discussion of continuing issues. She feels that a small group should continue meeting and talking about topics so that each board can better understand the perspectives and responsibilities of the other boards. John Link said that improving the present school standards is another item that could be discussed in a group setting. Perhaps the County Commissioners can list items far the group to discuss. Commissioner Gordon made reference to her memo about substantial equivalency. The concept was to try to bring the old school buildings up to standards. Commissioner Carey said that the school boards and the Board of County Commissioners could develop a list of issues to be discussed. Commissioner Brown offered to participate on asub-committee work group. d. Possible Co-Location of Durham Tech Satellite Campus with New High School Campus Chair Carey said that the Board has had discussions with Durham Tech about the feasibility of a satellite campus in Orange County. There was a fair amount of enthusiasm at the initial meeting of the group about the need for some additional training courses and facilities in Orange County. At the present time there are well over 100 courses being taught by Durham Tech in Orange County. He said that the subject of co-locating a facility on the site of the new high school in Orange County was discussed. He asked for any feedback from this proposal from the members of the school boards. Susan Halkiotis said that the Orange County School Board has been interested in using school sites that will benefit students and citizens. She said that there has been interest in pursuing what the mechanics of such an agreement might look like. Nick Didow arrived at 8:55 p.m. Susan Halkiotis said that her Board is interested in information the committee can share on further discussions about co-locating a Durham Tech satellite campus at the new high school. Commissioner Brawn asked about the progress of the planning for the new high school.