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Commissioner Dorosin said it seems counterintuitive to lay it out this way and asked if <br /> the County could not just fund all of these students going forward. <br /> Commissioner Price asked if the statement "fund charter school students" means it is <br /> an addition to the per pupil amount. <br /> Bonnie Hammersley said yes. <br /> Paul Laughton said the County has not changed the cap of how many charter school <br /> students have been funded since 2000 or 2001. He said this part of the budget is a way of <br /> raising the cap and looking at funding the entire Charter School enrollment, over the next two <br /> years. <br /> Commissioner Price asked if the State required the County to fund all the students. <br /> Paul Laughton said the school systems are required to pay for the operational costs for <br /> the charter school students although capital costs do not have to be covered. <br /> Commissioner Burroughs said the money follows the students through the per-pupil <br /> amounts and the money in question makes whole the fixed costs. <br /> Bonnie Hammersley said the recommendation recognizes there is a cap and making <br /> the cap reflect the actual number of students over a two year period. She said the projected <br /> DPI for 2015-2016 is a reduction and the County funds based on projections. <br /> Commissioner Dorosin asked if there was a reason for the existence of the cap given <br /> that every student must still be paid for. <br /> Commissioner Jacobs said he does not remember the reasoning for the cap. <br /> Paul Laughton said he does not remember either. <br /> Bonnie Hammersley said her staff would do some research. <br /> Commissioner Jacobs said this money supplants what the schools systems would have <br /> to pay for these charter school students. <br /> Commissioner Rich said she would like to know the history and asked what is the <br /> current cap for Orange County Schools (OCS). <br /> Paul Laughton said the cap for OCS is 254 students. <br /> Commissioner Rich said she finds the cap to be ridiculous and it should be eliminated. <br /> Commissioner Pelissier said even when there is not a cap there may still be a shortfall <br /> due to not knowing in May how many students there may be in the fall. <br /> Commissioner Rich asked if all the students in Orange County are accounted for, <br /> whether in public or charter schools. <br /> Bonnie Hammersley said the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) does include <br /> charter school students. <br /> Commissioner Jacobs said this is a boon to both school systems because they are <br /> getting money from the County over and beyond the per pupil amount. He said Orange <br /> County is being more generous to the school systems to cover these students that would <br /> require funding anyway. <br /> Commissioner Burroughs said she is looking forward to hearing from the schools on <br /> this proposed funding as the process moves forward. <br /> Commissioner Dorosin said there was a request made previously by OCS to raise the <br /> school board salaries making them comparable to CHCCS. He asked if this request is in the <br /> budget. <br /> Bonnie Hammersley said no. <br /> Commissioner Dorosin said he is going to suggest this request going forward. <br /> Chair McKee asked John Roberts if the setting of the school board's salaries is a <br /> prerogative of the BOCC. <br /> John Roberts said the BOCC can set the salaries of school boards but does not have <br /> to. He said if the Board chooses not to, then the schools boards can set the salaries <br /> themselves. <br />