Minutes - 20070531 - Laserfiche WebLink

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workloads, work hours, and family stress, while decreasing the quality and continuity of instruction and disciplinary management of the student bodies. She asked the County Commissioners to fund the OCS budget to maintain the current staffing needs. This may require an increase in the tax and she said that she is willing to take this on until the community finds more fiscally sound solutions to the County's continuing budget woes. Melinda Canada said that maternity care coordination helps them every day. She said that if she needs anything to help with her child, they are always there. She asked that this not be cut out. Laneikwa Mitchell said that her maternity care person is a role model and takes stress from her when she needs someone to talk to. She asked the County Commissioners not to cut this program. Bob Schriener, Chair of Chapel Hill Library Board of Trustees, introduced some of his board members. He read a prepared statement: "The Chapel Hill Public Library Board of Trustees is happy to represent the Chapel Hill Town Council this evening. We thank you for your budgetary support, for the library studies and planning that you have encouraged, and for the clear messages that libraries are important. Your continuing support of the Chapel Hill Public Library helps ensure quality library services for all residents of Orange County. As the Orange County Library Services Task Force concluded in 2004, the Chapel Hill Public Library is `a significant partner in the provision of library services to the County.' A large proportion of the citizens of Orange County who use the CHPL live elsewhere in the County (40% of registered borrowers). Yet Orange County is currently providing just 12.5°~ of the cast. Furthermore, the proportion of the cost of the CHPL that Orange County provides has declined from 16.4% in 1999-2000 to the present 12.5°~ in 2005-2006. That is a 23.8% decrease for Orange County in support of total CHPL expenditures. During this same period, the cost of operating the library has increased 28.3°~. We are requesting that you begin to reverse this trend. Your 12.5% cost share is buying 40% of library use, and that is too great a discrepancy. We request that the County increase the dollar amount it has been providing to the Chapel Hill Public Library by 10°~ over the next 5 years, 2°~ each year. Orange County residents have a lot to gain from use of the Chapel Hill Public Library. Chapel Hill's library building expansion is entering final design stage, and the expansion is still on schedule for completion in 2009. The Town also funded a second children's library last fiscal year, recognizing that services for children are the fastest growing of all library services. Thank you for your continued support for libraries and education in Orange County." Karen Jeremiah is a school media specialist at CHCCS and apart-time employee far the Orange County Public Library. She said that the Superintendent recently shared the cuts that the budget faced and that people would be losing their jobs, especially at the elementary school level. These positions include teacher assistants in K-3, custodians, clerical office staff, gifted educational specialists, exceptional children staff, world language teachers, science specialists, and media assistants. She is one person working to meet the informational needs of aver 700 children at her school. She said that her full-time assistant needs his job and she needs him. She said that there are many good people's livelihoods at stake here, not to mention the quality of education that they are providing to the children of Orange County. Jennifer Roth is a parent of two children and an elementary world language teacher at CHCCS. She said that she and her husband were drawn to the school system because of the many exceptional programs that are offered. She said that significant cuts are being considered that will have a dramatic impact on the quality of these programs. She urged the County Commissioners to consider the impact that this will have on the children. She said that the