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go through my fractured notes here. With more education funds, there will be more teachers to teach foreign languages, agricultural, science, music, art, etc., that can benefit bath districts. But in order to increase educational opportunities in bath districts, more taxes are needed in both districts. So I ask that what would be the true tax increase to bring some of the opportunities that are available in Orange County to Chapel Hill school system. The debate often sounds like people in Orange County wanting to sort of force the rest of Orange County to pay more taxes for education via from a referendum or a merger. I would like to say that it also becomes an issue with the Board of County Commissioners, because as I understand it, they have the means to change the base funding for both schools. And as far as a referendum is concerned, some people say it won't be permanent, however in Chapel Hill schools and Carrboro schools, it's existed far 7Q years, and at least, forme, that seems fairly permanent. I also want to mention that a merger can be reversed, although it's highly unlikely. And it seems that a forced tax in Orange County would create more sort of resentment between Orange County people, those that don't want tax, and those that do. And that sort of reminds of this notion of invisible barriers or boundaries. And I do see differences between Orange County school system areas and Chapel Hill-Carrboro school system areas. There are differences there, and merging the schools won't change those differences. I know people don't like to hear where us relocated people came from before, having only been here for three years. But in the Chicago area, where I grew up, there were rich school systems and there were not so rich school systems. I came from a not so rich school system, and I did well in college and graduate school. So, anyway, I don't see that as important. The merger does seem a means to an end. It's straightforward solution, but problems still exist with the merger as they would with any solution, and I urge all of the Commissioners to keep an open mind in this matter. Thank you. Linda Daugherty: I'm Linda Daugherty. I'm here tonight because I strongly believe something that Commissioner Moses Carey has said -that this issue of a funding disparity between our two school systems and a possible merger is about civil rights and social responsibility. It may not be so obviously an issue of inequality because it is about socioeconomics and not race. But we should feel no less a sense of social responsibility in correcting it. A separate district tax for Orange County will never fully address the funding disparity between the two school systems. It will not address the fact that the two systems operate in communities with very different tax bases and that in Orange County one third of all the school children, 33%, are eligible far free or reduced lunch, versus 13% in Chapel Hill. It will not change the fact that Orange County residents are helping Chapel Hill pay for numerous new schools that Orange County children will never be allowed to use. As we heard from a parent last week, it may very well be true that the children who do best in school come from families with two highly educated parents in the home. But guess what? Most children are not so lucky to come from such ideal families. Are we to leave all the disadvantaged children to fend far themselves, tell them that the odds are already stacked against them, so why bother? I don't think so. It is up to the public school system to ensure that every child, regardless of their socioeconomic status, family makeup, parents' level of education, or their address has the same quality of education. Money makes a difference. It helps