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Keith Cook said that also the electric bill does not change in a building where 100 <br />students were taken out of the building. He said that he would like for us in the future in building schoals, <br />to put monies into the bond to pay for opening a new school. Orange County Schools always has a <br />problem with funding to open new schools. There needs to be a mechanism far providing bond monies <br />for start-up costs for new schools. <br />Jahn Link said that the County Commissioners could set aside an amount for opening <br />schools, but for every dollar that Orange County Schools gets, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools would <br />also get a dollar. The County Commissioners cannot set aside a certain amount of money for one <br />system and not the other. This is state law. <br />Susan Halkiotis said that where it hurts Orange County Schools is that the state is going <br />to send the money for these students if they show up, but Orange County Schools will have lost that <br />money from local funding. She asked if it would be possible to set up a rainy day fund that would help <br />both districts in situations like this. <br />John Link said that if it is current expense and we are not pursuing paying for it from the <br />district tax, then every dollar that one system gets, the other system would also get. He said that the <br />rainy day fund would not just pay for a number of students but would raise the per pupil amount. <br />Susan Halkiotis asked what if the rainy day fund was one that would bald constant the per <br />pupil allocation that was set prior to July 1 ~ far the budget and would just cover the additional students. <br />John Link said that he would come back with a more definitive statement to respond to that question. <br />Commissioner Carey said that although he likes the rainy day fund concept, this would <br />need to be put in place for all needs in the County. We would have to consider a rainy day fund in a <br />broader context to include other needs in Orange County like senior citizens, Health Department, Social <br />Services, etc. <br />Superintendent Pedersen said that there is the issue of incremental costs. If there is room <br />to grow in the school system, then it is probably financially advantageous. However, if a new facility is <br />needed, the advantages catch up to you. He said that the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School system also <br />struggles in a year when a new school is opening. <br />d. Priority Projects -Bond Renovation Funds, Alternative Financing, and Pay-as-yau- <br />ao (PAYG1 <br />Chair Jacobs asked for questions about the projects and the different funding sources that <br />are available. There were no comments. <br />e. OCSICHCCS Capital Investment Plans <br />Rod Visser said that this was an opportunity for the County Commissioners and the two <br />school boards to ask questions about the CIPs. <br />Commissioner Gordon asked about the older facilities in each school system. She said <br />that she understands and applauds both school systems for putting emphasis on renovating the older <br />schools. She asked Superintendent Pedersen about the Culbreth science classrooms and said that she <br />hopes that they are moved up in their CIP because they have been inadequate for years. She asked the <br />Orange County school board about the renovations at Hillsborough Elementary School and their central <br />office facilities. <br />Superintendent Bridges said that Hillsborough Elementary School is an optional school. <br />The capacity is over 400 students and there is always a waiting list. He said that if there could be an <br />extension of space for the central offices, then there would be more room at Hillsborough Elementary for <br />additional classrooms. <br />Commissioner Gordon said that she visited Hillsborough Elementary School. She spoke <br />about what she understood about the addition to the building. Superintendent Bridges briefly explained <br />the addition and renovation plans. He will bring back additional information about what the capacity of <br />Hillsborough Elementary School would be if additional classrooms are added. <br />Chair Jacobs made reference to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools' CIP and the <br />indoor air quality improvements and the phased-in approach. Steve Scroggs said that they have <br />addressed the major air quality issues at Chapel Hill High School so the rest of the schoals are not as <br />