Orange County NC Website
4 <br /> 1 Chair Jacobs clarified that $1.6 million is approximately 1 cent on the county property tax. <br /> 2 He referred to an excel sheet that tracks funding for the past 25 years and shows that per pupil <br /> 3 funding over this time has either stayed the same or gone up. <br /> 4 Commissioner Gordon questioned how the capital will be handled. She said that what <br /> 5 was presented in the budget document was not complete. She asked if all of the things in the <br /> 6 CIP will be in the budget somehow. <br /> 7 Paul Laughton said all of the revisions to the CIP are adjusted in their packet agenda, <br /> 8 including a summary. <br /> 9 <br /> 10 Orange County Schools <br /> 11 Vice Chair Steve Halkiotis said some things never change, and education is still one of <br /> 12 the most important functions of democratic government. He said that these schools are <br /> 13 important to the community, and they have high cost. He said much of this cost must be met <br /> 14 from County revenue. He understands this is a difficult process, and there are many services <br /> 15 and agencies that need to be funded. He is here to advocate for students and teachers in the <br /> 16 Orange County School (OCS) district who will suffer when the state legislature chops up the <br /> 17 school funding. He listed the many proposals that may impact revenue and he referenced the <br /> 18 possibility of re-segregation, lack of pay increase, increased class size, and fewer teacher <br /> 19 assistants. He said that the OCS request for additional County appropriation is quite modest. <br /> 20 He noted that the free and reduced lunch number has now crossed over the 40% threshold, <br /> 21 which is a first for Orange County. He said the school systems continue to receive punishing <br /> 22 blows, as legislators fail to recognize that it costs far less to educate a child than to house an <br /> 23 inmate in prison or on death row. He said he cares for all of the students in Orange County and <br /> 24 he hopes the Board will better the modest manager recommendation. <br /> 25 <br /> 26 Patrick Rhodes reviewed the following PowerPoint slides: <br /> 27 <br /> 28 Orange County Board of Education Budget Request Highlights 2013-2014 <br /> 29 <br /> 30 Return on Investment <br /> 31 ✓ Successful 1 to 1 laptop initiative (6-12) <br /> 32 ✓ Narrowed Achievement Gaps <br /> 33 ✓ Ranked 4th in the state on the combined A.C.T. scores for the 2011-12 junior class <br /> 34 ✓ Engineering is Elementary STEM program at Central Elementary School <br /> 35 ✓ Strong community support and partnerships <br /> 36 <br /> 37 OCS Per-Pupil Funding Rankings* <br /> 38 ✓ Local Funding 4th <br /> 39 ✓ State Funding 79th <br /> 40 ✓ Federal Funding 107th <br /> 41 ✓ Total Funding 39th <br /> 42 North Carolina ranks 47th in the nation <br /> 43 <br /> 44 Revenue Sources for 2012-13 (Pie Chart) <br /> 45 <br /> 46 2013-14 Budget Drivers <br /> 47 Unknowns <br /> 48 ✓ Virtual Charters <br /> 49 ✓ School Vouchers <br /> 50 ✓ Changes in the allotment system <br />