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think we need to move in that direction. I submit that you have to make a decision that you're going to <br />merge before you can develop a clear picture of what a merged system would look like. You can't <br />develop that picture unless you've made the decision to merge. Anything you do prior to making the <br />decision to merge and getting a group of citizens to work on a proposed merger plan is sheer <br />speculation, and that's folly. That's misleading the public because you're encouraging them to rely on <br />something that has no basis in fact, because it's sheer speculation. It's like saying that we're going to <br />have 1,600 students redistricted and bussed. That's sheer speculation. And it's unfair to put the <br />speculation out there and invoke fears in the public when you really can't determine what a merged <br />system is going to look like until you make the decision to merge and then get a group of citizens who <br />know more about education than we do to come up with a merger plan. And until you've gat a merger <br />plan, you cannot present a clear picture to the public. You want to put the cart before the horse. I want <br />to put the horse where it needs to be. And we're the ones who are driving this train, and we need to <br />take the leadership to do so. And if we don't take the leadership to do so, it's not going to happen. I've <br />stated my opinion, and I'm sticking to it. <br />But if we do decide to go in this direction and put something on the ballot, and I don't know when <br />the election is going to occur, nobody does, but I think we need to decide to do so in January. Now this <br />Board can decide to put this option on the ballot in January, or we can decide to not do it. I think we <br />should do it. Commissioner Gordon has stated that we needed to have a referendum on merger; she <br />was the first one who stated that we needed to have a referendum on the countywide supplemental tax. <br />So she can't say, "I don't want to da either one." And I've heard other Commissioners say they support <br />variations on this theme of a public vote on a tax. Let the public decide, the public is ahead of us on <br />this. Let the public decide. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis: I have a suggestion to move us along, because it's 10:00. We could <br />be here for a couple of weeks debating this. I'd like to suggest we go ahead and empower the Manager <br />to look at his proposal and get us the information as quickly as possible and schedule it for our January <br />retreat. Anything else we do right now, we're just going to present five different opinions up here, and <br />that's going to be it. <br />Commissioner Brawn: I think that's great. You definitely have to have that data. <br />Commissioner Gordon: I just wanted to support something that Commissioner Jacobs said in <br />that I do think that it makes sense to get your facts and figures to make sure that people are educated. <br />It is kind of uncharacteristic "Gordonian" form suggesting that we move forward for this. The reason is <br />because I've been persuaded that the need is so great in the Orange County school system to do <br />something. But if it's the pleasure of the Commissioners to get the data about why these two school <br />systems need this money, fine. I just have been persuaded that the Orange County school system <br />needs the money, and that's why I proposed what I did. But if it's the pleasure of the Commissioners to <br />get data to educate the public, to do efficiency studies or whatever we need to do to make sure that the <br />Orange County system is using their money efficiently and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro system is using <br />their money efficiently, then I could go along with that. I just think that we need to get money to the <br />Orange County school system. If we can do it sooner rather than later, that was my point. <br />Chair Jacobs: And if the sense of the Board is we'll come back to this in late January when we <br />reconvene, that's fine with me, but I would just reiterate that that makes it even less likely that I would <br />support an early decision because we're going to lose almost two months in gathering any information. <br />And I think we need information for ourselves and for the public. <br />Commissioner Gordon: What kind of information do you need? <br />Chair Jacobs: The efficiency study. <br />Commissioner Brown: Are we going to then accommodate all of our proposals and get back <br />information that we need from John Link and move ahead? <br />Commissioner Gordon: I think that we should have all of our proposals looked at. <br />Chair Jacobs: If that's the sense of the Board. <br />Commissioner Brawn: Then we will bring all of them to our annual retreat in January. Is that <br />correct? <br />Chair Jacobs: We'll either put it on the regular agenda or the retreat. One or the other, but as <br />soon as we can. <br />