Agenda - 09-04-2014 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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16 1 Chair Bedford said she has talked with the president of the community college, but one 2 building is not a college experience. 3 James Barrett said the president is very interested in this. He said the campus is not 4 big enough to keep the high school class from standing out. He said it would be a big benefit if 5 students could access the program more easily in Orange County. 6 Chair Bedford said the biggest issue with Durham Tech is transportation. 7 Commissioner McKee asked if the low number of students is a result of lack of demand 8 or transportation issue. 9 Chair Bedford said she couldn't say for sure, but it is a hardship for students to travel 10 one and half hours on a bus to Durham Tech. 11 Chair Jacobs asked if the boards are still committed to the program. 12 Both school districts answered yes. 13 Steve Halkiotis said the facilities in Guilford County were a success because of the 14 availability of mass transit. 15 Commissioner McKee asked if additional public transportation services address this 16 problem. 17 Michelle Brownstein said the amount of children is not huge, and you would need to look 18 into whether it was worth the investment to increase a bus line. 19 Commissioner McKee said he brings this up because everyone is paying a half cent 20 sales tax for transportation, and perhaps more funding should be directed toward immediate 21 needs. 22 Commissioner Price said the Durham Board of Trustees has talked about providing 23 transportation for residents who want to take classes in Orange County. She said, as 24 Commissioner McKee said, this might be a good place for Orange County to allocate the 25 money being paid for public transportation. She said the issue is getting to a central point to 26 get on the bus. 27 Annetta Streater said she believes convenience might be part of the issue, but the more 28 pressing reason is the lack of interest in connecting to that type of educational experience 29 versus the traditional high school experience. 30 Chair Jacobs asked Clarence Grier if there is funding in the CIP for expanding Durham 31 Tech. 32 Clarence Grier said no. 33 Chair Jacobs said when Durham Tech was built the campus was supported by 50 34 percent state bond monies for educational facilities. He said things are different now, and the 35 Board will need to figure out a better way to utilize available resources like transportation. 36 Commissioner Price asked how many students are participating in Middle College. 37 Chair Bedford said 12-14, and Gerri Martin said Orange County has around 20 38 students. 39 Commissioner Dorosin said this is a particular opportunity for students who are not 40 necessarily going on to a 4 year traditional university model. He said this is a population that 41 has historically been underserved. He said the schools may need to do a better job of selling 42 the advantages of this. 43 Commissioner Price said Middle College is also for youth who are a little advanced or 44 more mature. She said Durham Tech is sending a lot of students on to a four year school to 45 finish. 46 47 Chair Jacobs referred to the issue of kiss and go lanes. He said there is an 48 environmental issue with having people line up in cars and run them for 15-30 minutes every 49 morning and afternoon. He asked if there are any school districts that have looked at 50 alternatives, such as fare free busing.