Minutes 04-29-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Geri Martin said there are currently 4 social workers employed, but the additional 8 are needed to cover the 13 facilities. Commissioner Price asked if that number will be sufficient or if the schools would prefer to have more. Gerri Martin said this is a conservative number to maintain their current level of service. Chair Jacobs asked how many students are attending Middle College, and how much is being paid for this. Mike Kelly said the allocation is 25 students per district and $50,000 is being paid. Chair Bedford said about 12 are attending per district. She said the students who go there probably have higher per pupil costs, but they are graduating. She said undocumented students can get 1-2 years of college for free. She said this is a very successful program. Chair Jacobs asked if there have been discussions with Durham Tech about moving into Hillsborough now. Chair Bedford said she has talked with the president of the community college, but one building is not a college experience. James Barrett said the president is very interested in this. He said the campus is not big enough to keep the high school class from standing out. He said it would be a big benefit if students could access the program more easily in Orange County. Chair Bedford said the biggest issue with Durham Tech is transportation. Commissioner McKee asked if the low number of students is a result of lack of demand or transportation issue. Chair Bedford said she couldn't say for sure, but it is a hardship for students to travel one and half hours on a bus to Durham Tech. Chair Jacobs asked if the boards are still committed to the program. Both school districts answered yes. Steve Halkiotis said the facilities in Guilford County were a success because of the availability of mass transit. Commissioner McKee asked if additional public transportation services address this problem. Michelle Brownstein said the amount of children is not huge, and you would need to look into whether it was worth the investment to increase a bus line. Commissioner McKee said he brings this up because everyone is paying a half cent sales tax for transportation, and perhaps more funding should be directed toward immediate needs. Commissioner Price said the Durham Board of Trustees has talked about providing transportation for residents who want to take classes in Orange County. She said, as Commissioner McKee said, this might be a good place for Orange County to allocate the money being paid for public transportation. She said the issue is getting to a central point to get on the bus. Annetta Streater said she believes convenience might be part of the issue, but the more pressing reason is the lack of interest in connecting to that type of educational experience versus the traditional high school experience. Chair Jacobs asked Clarence Grier if there is funding in the CIP for expanding Durham Tech. Clarence Grier said no. Chair Jacobs said when Durham Tech was built the campus was supported by 50 percent state bond monies for educational facilities. He said things are different now, and the Board will need to figure out a better way to utilize available resources like transportation. Commissioner Price asked how many students are participating in Middle College.