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Kathy Hartkopf said that she is here because she needs to be informed on the <br />issues about merging the two school districts. The public is desperate for accurate and detailed <br />information. She said that many reviewed the report and attended the meeting last night in the <br />hope of becoming informed. She came from the meeting with many of the same questions that <br />she had when the merger discussion began. She has spoken with DPI, superintendents from <br />merged districts, and state legislators about merger. She asked the Board to consider <br />postponing the public hearings until after they have all of the information needed. <br />Dianne Bachman lives in Chapel Hill and has a daughter in CHCCS. She agrees <br />with the comments from the Board last night about the needed additional information about the <br />merger issue. She agrees with Commissioner Jacobs and Commissioner Gordon that they <br />need information about how many children will be bussed and from what schools. She also <br />agrees that mare information is needed about the program similarities and differences between <br />the two systems. She also agrees that information is needed about the percentage of students <br />in each district that take the SAT, their performance, their graduation rates, and their dropout <br />rates. She also agrees that more information is needed about alternatives to merger. She <br />believes that the public should be able to see and study this information before participating in a <br />public hearing. If the Board cannot make a decision until this information is received, then <br />certainly the public cannot be informed participants in a public hearing unless they are well <br />informed. She said that the public hearings would be wasted if they were held before the <br />additional information the Board requested in November. <br />Dennis Bradshaw is the Executive Director of Residential Services, Inc., a private <br />non-profit organization. They started about two years ago on a plan to develop a retirement <br />home for developmentally disabled. The County made a financial commitment to help support <br />this project. He said that they have finished the project and the first residents are going to move <br />in tomorrow morning. He thanked the County for their commitment. They were also able to <br />receive a commitment from the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency. They received several <br />other commitments. He invited the Board to the grand opening on October 25`h. He distributed <br />an invitation to each Commissioner. <br />The following was transcribed verbatim: <br />Valerie Foushee: Madam Chair, and members of the Board and staff, thank you on behalf of <br />the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education for the opportunity to speak with you <br />this evening. First of all, let me say that we greatly appreciate your encouragement and support <br />for locating and constructing the third high school in the southern part of our school district, <br />recognizing the need for a high school spurred by the growth in that area of our district. In <br />August, our board voted unanimously to approve an inter-local agreement between the Board of <br />County Commissioners and the Board of Education that would establish a project ordinance to <br />allow acquisition of the desired school site, and to establish funding for the construction of the <br />facility. The agreement also called for the district to include smart growth principles in the <br />design and the construction of the school. The Board of Education submitted to you, in the farm <br />of two addenda, their school board policy 9040 and other examples to be considered as <br />guidelines to meet in order to receive an additional $2.2 million to fund this project. At a <br />subsequent meeting of your Board, we were encouraged to move forward with the design of <br />high school #3. We were given the assurance that the additional $2.2 million would be available <br />and that resolution on the smart growth principles would be reached. A committee was <br />established that includes representatives from your Board and staff, our board and staff, along <br />with smart growth experts to help establish principles and to assist the Commissioners to reach <br />resolution on the addenda that were submitted to you. VIJe have had two meetings now, with <br />another one scheduled later this month. However, we have not discussed the addenda or come <br />