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Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) Budget Narrative <br /> I. CHCCS FOCUS AREAS <br /> We are addressing issues that negatively impact instructional time/quality and affect those most <br /> vulnerable to inequity, to drive improvements for all students. These efforts are focused in the <br /> following areas: <br /> 1. Equity: The top priority of the board and district is to close the Opportunity gap <br /> (sometimes called achievement gap). To that end, we are taking the following actions: <br /> o Continued focus on rigorous instruction:Ongoing improvements to curriculum. This <br /> includes curriculum and professional development with consistent focus on <br /> instructional excellence <br /> o Focused Equity Director: CHCCS is one of few districts in the state with an Equity <br /> director, This role provides focus on structural barriers which hinder student <br /> achievement and enables training, implementation and review of policies, budgets <br /> and plans via equity lens to develop actions to improve outcomes for all students <br /> o Equity plan: Development of a district level equity plan with community collaboration <br /> including SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound) goals at <br /> all levels to align staff and community on expected outcomes, timing, action steps <br /> and measures to assess progress. Each school leader has goals tied to reducing <br /> gaps <br /> o Discipline review: Focus on reducing discipline disparities with specific actions, <br /> including restorative practice implementation in schools, memorandum of <br /> understanding with School Resource Officers (SRO) to align on expectations <br /> including training and the role of the SRO in the schools <br /> o Early Childhood focus: Provide appropriate resources to support early learning and <br /> prevent gaps from opening <br /> 2. Mental health: The district reallocated resources to hire a System of Care coordinator. <br /> System of Care is a spectrum of effective, community-based services and supports for <br /> children and families with, or at-risk for, mental health or other challenges. This system, <br /> organized into a coordinated network, builds meaningful partnerships with families and <br /> youth, and addresses their cultural and emotional needs in order to help them function <br /> better at home, in school, in the community, and throughout life. The coordinator will <br /> develop a district level plan to address student and staff needs in school based mental <br /> health. We expect increased partnership with community organizations and improved <br /> student outcomes. <br /> 3. Fiscal management: Increasing transparency in district financial details, improved <br /> collaboration with key stakeholders in the budget process, the district will conduct annual <br /> program reviews to identify efficiencies (school counselors, mental health, etc.) <br /> 4. Investment in Teachers and staff <br /> o Teaching Assistants (TA): Prioritize TA allocation to all elementary classrooms to <br /> support teachers and enable classroom differentiation which better serves all students <br /> o Local Supplement: Provide competitive compensation to teachers and staff to enable <br /> recruitment and retention of highly qualified teachers and staff <br /> 1 -1 <br />