Minutes - 20070604 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

- www.ca.orange.nc.us Budget Schedule • Budget Public Hearings - May 31, Superior Courtroom, Hillsborough - June 4, Sonja Haynes Stone Center, UNC Campus, 150 South Road, Chapel Hill • Budget Work Sessions - June 5 - Southern Human Services Center - June 7 -Link Government Services Center - June 14 -Southern Human Services Center - June 18 -Link Government Services Center - June 21 -Southern Human Services Center • Budget Adoption - June 26 -Southern Human Services Center • All meetings start at 7:30 p. m. Commissioner Jacobs said that the Board of County Commissioners appropriates a lump sum to each school system and does not decide what gets cut from a school's budget. He said that the County Commissioners have received emails about why they did not anticipate the increased school casts. He said that construction costs have gone up tremendously for new schools. Also, the public has asked what they could do to help get more funds for schools and he said that one area is getting the State to lessen the burden of Medicaid funding. 3. Public Comment Sean Smith is a parent of OCS children and he said that he understands that one of the goals of this budget is protecting the taxpayers. He said that this budget places a burden on those people they are trying to help. In OCS, one of the suggestions is eliminating some teacher assistant positions, particularly in the 4t" and 5t" grades. These positions are critical for all children, but in particular, those children who are at risk. The second example is that the OCS is talking about eliminating sports in the middle school and the junior varsity in high school, and the burden will fall on the kids and the parents since the students have nowhere to go if there are no after-school sports. He said that these are just two examples, and we can pay a little more now or a lot more later. Karl Knapp is a CHCCS parent and a State employee. He said that he has spent his entire career working in budgets, so he understands the pressures that the County Commissioners are under. He also understands that the budget is a plan, not only for spending, but also for who we want to be as a community. He said that the choices made in spending define what is considered to be important. He said that as he looks at this budget, he wonders whether education remains important to the community. He said that in the budget services in other areas are funded at the current services level and there is money available for new positions to increase service levels. The County employees receive a pay increase and the senior center that just opened is funded to actually operate. He said that when he looks at the schools he sees something different - he sees enough money to pay for new students, but not enough to pay for the costs of educating those students. He does not see pay increases for the employees who are funded by the County, and he does not see enough money to open a new high school. He sees a situation in which the schools are going to be forced to cut items in order to keep mandated costs funded. He said that the schools couldn't cut by trimming the fat because there is not a lot of fat. The services will be cut, such as teaching assistants, language instruction, science education, services for academically gifted and exceptional children, etc.