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This all boils down to limited resources for both of our districts. I would urge you not to take the path of least resistance by imposing merger on our schools districts at this time. Please take the time to consider the alternatives, specifically Dr. Pederson's proposal, and remember that the ultimate goal here is to best serve the children and the citizens of both of our districts. Thank you. Michele Burris-Ward: Hi. I'm Michele Burris-Ward and I've got two sons in the Chapel Hill school district. You know, sitting out here, I've gat a prepared comment, but I've been struck by all of the historical references that have been made, and seeing the buttons that say, "separate, but unequal". You know, I was a history undergraduate, and one of the things, my son and I were watching the news a few weeks ago, and President Bush made a reference to the forest fires in Los Angeles and California as being a holocaust. And we had a discussion about that and I said, "Holocaust should never be used to define anything other than what the Holocaust was because it dilutes what the Holocaust was." And similarly, with this whole civil rights issue, using this term as civil rights and what the issue is, which it is not, dilutes the real Plessy versus Ferguson and the real Topeka versus Board of Education in my opinion. And I don't think that does us justice historically. So my prepared comment says some pro-merger forces have claimed civil rights to be the impetus for this proposed merger. Not one of us who consider ourselves liberal and choose to live in one of the most liberal towns in the United States, Chapel Hill, would ever oppose civil rights. Webster's defines civil rights as those rights guaranteed to the individual by the constitution. The right to vote, exemption from involuntary servitude, and equal treatment of all people with respect to the enjoyment of life, liberty, and property, and to the protection of law. Whether a district is the first highest funded or the fourth highest funded in the State is not a civil rights issue. Chapel Hill residents choose to pay an additional tax. Change County residents choose to not pay an additional tax. That is the issue. The pro-merger group is using a classic political tactic; use false logic to emotionally charge an issue in order to avoid both talking about the facts and finding realistic win-win solutions. This is effective because facts are basically tedious. I'm sure you all feel that way this evening. And coming up with sound solutions takes time, creativity, and effort. But bring up civil rights and anyone in opposition becomes a bigoted anti-civil rights evildoer. There are numerous options to be explored prior to making such a rapid and radical change, a change that will negatively effect both the property owners of Orange County and the students in Chapel Hill with little to no proof that merger is the definitive solution. one could argue that the civil rights -enjoyment of property and protection of law - of Orange County property owners could be violated by being forced without a public referendum to pay more for property taxes, and that the civil rights -enjoyment of life and liberty - of Chapel Hill students could be violated by having to ride a bus 34 miles round trip to Efland to go to school when they could ride a bus two miles to a Chapel Hill-Carrboro school. Maybe ultimately the solution will call for merging the two districts. But this frenzied, arrogant, and reckless drive under the guise of civil rights must be slowed down. Please Commissioners, as trusted and elected public servants, you have an obligation to your constituents, all of us in this room, to work methodically and diligently, not emotionally and haphazardly, to clearly identify the legitimate needs of our