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

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18 1 Please vote to fully fund the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. The budget cuts our district 2 faces will directly and negatively impact the quality of education my two children currently 3 receive at our local public elementary school. 4 5 Three years ago, my family relocated to Chapel Hill from the Silicon Valley. We were excited at 6 the possibility of living somewhere that not only had good jobs and a reasonable cost of living, 7 but still maintained a reputation of excellence in public schools. We were okay paying Chapel 8 Hill's higher property taxes if it meant we could send our kids to good neighborhood schools. 9 This was the type of place every family dreamed of living, and we had made it our reality. 10 Three years later, we are faced with budget cuts that change 2 out of 3 of the reasons we 11 moved here in the first place. Without quality education for our children, we will be forced to 12 look for private school which makes this no longer an affordable place to live. And what about 13 those families who cannot afford private school? 14 Cutting our district's budget sends a message that education is not a priority here. People who 15 live here will be forced to seek out quality education elsewhere and people who were 16 considering living here will look elsewhere. This does not lead to a growing, thriving community 17 in which people dream of living. 18 Though we already pay higher taxes than surrounding areas, I would support a tax increase if it 19 meant that we could protect and fully support the education services in our public schools. 20 Thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful consideration. 21 22 Sincerely, 23 Nicole Bratten 24 25 Dear Commissioners, 26 We would like to say thank you. Thank you for your service to our community, your leadership, 27 and your ongoing commitment to education in Orange County. We know that you are faced with 28 many difficult choices, especially as retrenchment from Raleigh puts increasing pressure on 29 local municipalities to make up the difference. We recognize that it puts you in a tough spot, but 30 we also urge you to bear in mind the following facts: 31 Education drives growth. 32 One of the great values of this community is its schools. The quality of public education in 33 Chapel Hill, Carrboro and greater Orange County draws businesses, property owners and 34 taxpayers like no other feature in our community. Failure to fully fund the budget requests of the 35 school districts has a real impact on their ability to educate our children. We risk losing a 36 significant part of our attractiveness as a community when we lessen our financial commitment 37 to the educational institutions that have served as the most visible beacon leading people to call 38 this place home. 39 Education builds value. 40 Property values in Orange County significantly exceed those of our neighbors. Much of that 41 value is driven by the quality of our schools. The best way to keep property values high is to 42 continue to ensure that OCS and CHCCS remain among the very best schools in the state. The 43 only way to keep our schools among the best in the state and region is to fully fund the budget 44 requests of both school districts. Fully funding our schools sends a message to students and 45 teachers that our community remains committed to the best possible future for our citizens, no 46 matter what happens in Raleigh. 47 There is no tomorrow. 48 Capital projects have been delayed. Fund balances have been exhausted. Central office staffs 49 have been gutted. Every last bit of fat has been drained from the budgets of both OCS and 50 CHCCS. If you fail to fully fund the schools' budget requests, real and seriously impactful cuts