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opportunity to live anywhere in the country. They have three children. They wanted to live in a community with a climate of acceptance because they have two adopted children from different countries. They chose Chapel Hill and have been very happy here. She said that this is the first year that she has focused on the budget because of the drastic nature of the cuts. She wants to make sure that her 12 year old receives the same education that her older siblings did. She made reference to the Newsweek article about America's best high schools. The two high schools in Chapel Hill are both in the top 100, and she thinks this speaks to the budgets that have been allotted to the schools. Lisa Stolakis is PTA president at Chapel Hill High School. She said that she and Linda Coleman are both nurses and both volunteer in the CHCCS. She said that budget cuts started in the mid-1980's and have stayed. She said that patient care was directly affected, nursing staff was greatly reduced, and remaining staff had increased patient care responsibility. Many nurses became more frustrated. The result was that the nursing shortage began. She said that budget reductions in schools would directly affect classroom education. Teaching staff will be decreased and remaining teaching staff will have increased teaching responsibilities and many teachers will become frustrated. Adequate staffing in elementary and middle schools is crucial to meet basic education and safety needs. She said that one education historian said that the single mast important way to improve high schools is to improve elementary and middle schools. She knows that the County Commissioners care about people, and she asked them to please not cut what they knave already works. She asked the County Commissioners to find a way to fully fund both school systems. Amy Porter is a CHCCS parent and a second grade teacher at McDougle Elementary. She said that a decision to fully support funding far both school systems sends a clear message to the voters that they stand for high quality public education. She said that when the budgets are not fully funded, the systems are forced to make dangerous cuts. In Alamance County, she has seen teacher assistants removed. She said that there is a teacher crisis in North Carolina now and cuts will force more teachers to retire early and more young, qualified teachers to choose other careers. Tam Konsler is a representative of the Orange County Employee Relations Consortium. He was asked to address the County Commissioners regarding the pay and benefits portion of the Manager's recommended budget. The Consortium is a group of employees appointed by County departments to represent all employees. One of their charges is to communicate concerns raised by employees. Far the past two years, the single overwhelming issue raised by employees has been the County's pay plan. Specifically, their concerns include the lack of opportunities for employees to move higher in salary range, the lack of cast-of-living compensation to keep up with rising costs, and the limited 401 k contributions. He said that their incomes have remained stagnant with only one cost-of-living adjustment of 2% in the last three years. Implementation of the 2003 Classification and Pay Study without the funding of in-range salary increases in any of the past three years has caused significant salary compression, when newly hired employees' salaries are at levels close to ar equal to employees with longer service. This has been a blow to employee morale. They urge the County Commissioners to support the Manager's Employee Pay and Benefits recommendations in full. They ask that the 2.5°~ in- range salary increase be reinstated to support longer service employees and begin to address salary compression. Secondly, they ask that the County Commissioners provide far a 2.5°~ cost-of-living adjustment to help employees address rising costs and to make up far lost ground with regard to pay. Thirdly, they ask the County Commissioners consider a substantial increase to the County's 401 k contribution. They believe that the County Commissioners' investment in the employees of Orange County to carry out the business of Orange County is money well spent. Carol Cheek is an OCS parent and President of Cedar Ridge Band Boosters. They are a third year band program that has grown from 21 students to 92 students. They are expecting