Orange County NC Website
11 <br />Our central office is another area that could be impacted by reductions. The district's contracted <br />services for instructional professionals and a reorganization of positions are being considered. <br />Class size minimums at the secondary level will be enforced and our district's service learning <br />program may have to be revamped. One last impact could be to constrain the number of students <br />who enroll in the State's Virtual Public School classes <br />Other Information <br />Charter Schools <br />As the community may be aware, PACE Academy's charter was not renewed. Unless they <br />successfully appeal, several students will return to the district and increase our enrollment <br />numbers. This would result in increased state funding and we would not have to transfer funding <br />to PACE Academy next year. We will likely see increased enrollment as a result of the non- <br />renewal and many of these students will require special services. Therefore we should not <br />expect this change to provide any budgetary relief. The county has not fully funded our district <br />for the number of students enrolled in charter schools in recent history. The non - renewal at <br />PACE may present an opportunity to revisit enrollment and funding levels with county staff. <br />Over the past 5 years our local funding has been underfunded by an average of 26 charter school <br />students, yet we still have make transfers to the charter schools. At the current per pupil <br />allotment that equates to $85,696 in additional revenue. <br />Summary <br />The district is continuing to wrestle with the lingering effects of the Great Recession. We have <br />held the line on nearly every budget request. State mandates and reductions, cost increases, and <br />the long overdue need for our employees to receive a raise have placed great pressures on our <br />local budget. We have drawn down our fund balance to pre - recession levels and we must make <br />reductions and request additional revenues to balance our budget. Over the next few months the <br />budget picture will become clearer at both the local and state level. <br />Our administration must be prepared to address budget reductions, if necessary. We intend to <br />hold onto the core values of our school district and to protect quality student learning. These <br />goals have always been possible because of strong community support and the Board of Orange <br />County Commissioners. <br />Sincerely, <br />4��� a <br />Thomas Forcella <br />Superintendent <br />1-3 <br />