Agenda - 09-17-2013 - 5a - Laserfiche WebLink

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11 1 Rani Desi spoke on behalf of the Smith Middle School PTSA. She asked the Board to 2 fully fund both school systems, even if it requires an increase in taxes. 3 4 Victoria Templeton has children in the CHCCS. She said she has been struck by the 5 number of people saying that there is no request for "more" funding. She said everyone needs 6 to stop and look at what has been lost in the last 5 years- 4th and 5th grade caps, teacher 7 assistants, school science lab, foreign language classroom, decreased capital budgets, reduced 8 office staff, and outdated buildings and equipment. She said that, despite these conditions, 9 schools have continued to operate and perform at high levels. She said that these cuts have 10 had a damaging impact already, and now there are higher expectations with new curriculum. 11 She said that teachers are supplementing with their own money, while making less; and parents 12 are supplementing schools with supplies in larger and larger amounts. She said that the cuts 13 were initially used to improve efficiency and now it has progressed to cutting essential 14 programs. She read the district education vision statement and asked which of these visions 15 are to be cut. She said that 1 out of 4 students in the district are at risk and she strongly 16 encouraged the Board to do what is necessary to fully fund the schools. 17 18 Matthew Chamberlain has been living in Chapel Hill for 8 months and has children in 19 CHCCS. His family moved here because of the educational systems. He feels that the biggest 20 infrastructure investment the county can make is to the people in our schools, not the physical 21 buildings. 22 23 Jane Kerwin said she moved here for the education, and she re-located her family here 24 because of this. She has four children in the CHCCS and she asked the Board to keep funding 25 education. 26 27 Scott Windham has two children in the CHCCS. He said that residents know that the 28 Board of County Commissioners is not the bad guy. The state is the bad guy. He said the 29 Board needs to fully fund the schools' budget requests. He said that the schools are only 30 asking for the basics, not luxuries. He said appropriately funded schools are an investment, as 31 they turn out citizens with higher incomes who contribute more to their communities. Though he 32 is a fiscal conservative, he is asking the Commissioners to raise taxes to fund the schools. 33 34 James Easthom has two children in the school system. He asked the Board to fully fund 35 both school systems and suggested a 5 cent tax raise to do this. 36 37 James Barrett is on the CHCCS Board of Education. He said he is here speaking on his 38 own behalf tonight. He said that it has been 5 years since there has been a tax increase or a 39 per pupil funding increase. He asked the Board to please fully fund their school systems this 40 year. 41 42 Neal Haze said he took French in both high school and college. He said that there was 43 a student in his senior year college French class who was more advanced in French due to his 44 Chapel Hill school experience in foreign language. He said he supports fully funding the school 45 systems. He said the victory here is not to keep taxes from being raised, but to do whatever is 46 necessary to keep that quality education. 47 48 Chair Jacobs requested that Clarence Grier distribute the current per pupil amounts to 49 the Board members at the budget work session on June 6th 50 51 4. Adjournment of Public Hearing 52