Minutes - 20070531 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Kathy McKinnon said that she is a taxpayer and a world language teacher in Chapel Hill. She asked the County Commissioners to exhaust every possible means, including consideration of raising the special district tax to adequately fund the school budget so that the schools do not lose quality programs and central personnel. Roberta Clark read a prepared statement: "My name is Roberta Clark. I reside at 113 Collins Avenue in Hillsborough. I am here to urge the Commissioners to include in the County budget the $150,000 for renovation of the tennis courts at Orange High School included in the Orange Caunty Schools Interim Capital Investment Plan for 2007-08. The courts at Orange High are presently in deplorable condition and have not been resurfaced for many years, probably at least 14. Surfaces are cracked and eroded, far from level, and drainage is poor. Some improvement in the lighting is also needed. These courts are used extensively for recreation and competition by two groups of citizens: the physical education students and tennis teams of the high school and the general public. High school team competition especially requires home courts that are level and well maintained, have adequate drainage, and are properly marked. At present these courts do not meet that standard. The courts are also used by a wide variety of the general public far recreation and for the Parks and Recreation Department's busy program of tennis clinics and lessons. Participants in the tennis program are players of all ages and levels -from children of six or seven years old to seniors of 70 or so, from beginners to experienced players in intercommunity competition. Tennis is known as a healthful "sport for a lifetime" for all ages. It promotes aerobic and muscular fitness, balance, coordination, flexibility, and bone strength and density. In one medical study of 10,000 people over a period of 20 years, 3 hours a week of moderately vigorous tennis cut the risk of death in half from all causes. The County needs to renovate and maintain this facility as one measure to promote the health and fitness of our community. I thank the commissioners for their consideration of this budget item." Jean McDonald is a parent of CHCCS children and asked the County Commissioners to fully fund the school budget. She said that Ephesus Elementary is very vibrant and diverse and she thinks it is important to invest in the children's future. Julie Youngman has children in CHCCS and she is outgoing President of Ephesus PTA. She said that she agrees with all who have spoken before her regarding fully funding the school system's funding request. She agreed with Mark Peters that it is a travesty to begin each budget year with the presumption that the schools' budgets will be cut. She said that they need to at least keep the status quo each budget year. She said that at Ephesus Elementary, they prize their foreign language teachers, science teachers, and teacher assistants. She said that Ephesus has a literary collaborative program that relies on others and any funding level that depletes them of these programs is wrong. Marty Hanson is a parent of children in the OCS. He said that he was asked by family, friends, and colleagues to come and speak. He said that he was told that it was appropriate to be polite, thoughtful, positive, and to advocate raising taxes to solve the huge funding shortfalls. He said that he was told that funding shortfalls was a back roadway to capture public support for a tax increase. He believes that the tremendous shaving of concerned parents -whether from CHCCS or OCS -are here with at least one common thread, which is to tell the Board of County Commissioners that it is appropriate to fully fund the school budget as presented. He said that on April 19t", 2000 the Orange County Board of Commissioners filed an action agenda with the subject, "Fiscal Year 2007-2008", and was called The Budget Update. He made reference to page 11, which says, The Board of Commissioners find that the schools are well- funded in Orange Caunty, that growth in property and sales taxes allow for expansion of funding, even within the framework of benchmarks and of targeted percentage of expenditures." He said that clearly this is not the case today. He suggested that the Board consider outside