Minutes 06-06-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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more than last year and that falls into the component of the 48.1%. He reviewed an excel sheet and clarified some of the distributions. Chair Jacobs clarified that $1.6 million is approximately 1 cent on the county property tax. He referred to an excel sheet that tracks funding for the past 25 years and shows that per pupil funding over this time has either stayed the same or gone up. Commissioner Gordon questioned how the capital will be handled. She said that what was presented in the budget document was not complete. She asked if all of the things in the CIP will be in the budget somehow. Paul Laughton said all of the revisions to the CIP are adjusted in their packet agenda, including a summary. Orange County Schools Vice Chair Steve Halkiotis said some things never change, and education is still one of the most important functions of democratic government. He said that these schools are important to the community, and they have high cost. He said much of this cost must be met from County revenue. He understands this is a difficult process, and there are many services and agencies that need to be funded. He is here to advocate for students and teachers in the Orange County School (OCS) district who will suffer when the state legislature chops up the school funding. He listed the many proposals that may impact revenue and he referenced the possibility of re-segregation, lack of pay increase, increased class size, and fewer teacher assistants. He said that the OCS request for additional County appropriation is quite modest. He noted that the free and reduced lunch number has now crossed over the 40% threshold, which is a first for Orange County. He said the school systems continue to receive punishing blows, as legislators fail to recognize that it costs far less to educate a child than to house an inmate in prison or on death row. He said he cares for all of the students in Orange County and he hopes the Board will better the modest manager recommendation. Patrick Rhodes reviewed the following PowerPoint slides: Orange County Board of Education Budget Request Highlights 2013-2014 Return on Investment ✓ Successful 1 to 1 laptop initiative (6-12) ✓ Narrowed Achievement Gaps ✓ Ranked 4th in the state on the combined A.C.T. scores for the 2011-12 junior class ✓ Engineering is Elementary STEM program at Central Elementary School ✓ Strong community support and partnerships OCS Per-Pupil Funding Rankings* ✓ Local Funding 4th ✓ State Funding 79th ✓ Federal Funding 107th ✓ Total Funding 39th North Carolina ranks 47th in the nation Revenue Sources for 2012-13 (Pie Chart) 2013-14 Budget Drivers Unknowns