Orange County NC Website
3 <br />1 standard course of study. He indicated that moving away from the national measures to <br />2 more localized measures will reduce pressure on an organization to attempt to teach to <br />3 a specific nationalized test. It would create a very strong match between what you choose <br />4 to teach students and the material on which they are tested. <br />5 <br />6 Superintendent House stated that the process used in Chapel Hill - Carrboro was similar <br />7 to the one explained by Superintendent Lunsford. They started with a large committee <br />8 comprised of a diverse group of people and eventually arrived at a School Improvement and <br />9 Accountability Plan. They looked at the accreditation standards that the state accepts <br />10 and concluded that they have met all of the State performance indicators. All but two <br />11 of those have been met at a high level. Because they had reached the remainder of the <br />12 State standards they were able to use SBII to look locally at what they wanted students <br />13 to know. The strategic planning from last year had answered many of those <br />questions <br />14 already. The basic answer was that we want our students to be problem solvers and <br />15 creative thinkers. That was included in the plan.as Goal #2. The Chapel Hill,- Carrboro <br />16 City Schools Improvement and Accountability Plan is in the permanent agenda file in the <br />17 Clerk's office. <br />18 <br />19 Commissioner Willhoit asked for clarification of the Chapel Hill dropout rate. <br />20 Superintendent House indicated that the average dropout rate for Chapel Hill is 2.5 %. <br />21 <br />22 County Manager Link asked if the superintendents thought the waivers of Basic Education <br />23 Plan (BEP) funds would be granted? They indicated that there was a reasonable chance that <br />24 they would be. <br />I5 <br />-6 Superintendent Lunsford distributed a document entitled the Basic Education Plan (BEP) <br />27 Overview. He indicated that this plan is a major effort on the part of the State of North <br />28 Carolina to equalize opportunities across 134 school systems. The Basic Education Plan <br />29 is at the halfway mark now; however, unless some things change in this plan it will not <br />30 be completed. The intent of this plan is to have a comprehensive curriculum in 134 school <br />31 system. The elementary grades have- been--impacted by this plan more than the other levels. <br />32 It has brought dance, language, and drama to these classes. The impact has also been much <br />33 more dramatic in the less affluent school systems. In Orange county the effect is that <br />34 they are continuing to move forward with initiatives started by the local Boards of <br />35 Education and Board of Commissioners. A complete copy of this plan is located in the <br />36 Permanent agenda file in the Clerk's office. <br />37 <br />38 Superintendent Lunsford indicated that this plan is not on tract. He referred to page <br />39 10 of the overview and indicated that during the 1989 -1990 school year not as much money <br />40 as anticipated had reached Orange County due to the budgetary problems of the state. <br />41 <br />42 County Manager Link stated that Career Development funding decreases from 1.4 million <br />43 this year to $700,000 in 1993 -1994. Also, the Orange County Schools going from 14% to <br />44 7% while the Chapel Hill Carrboro system going up from 0% to 7% affects the equity formula <br />45 that was worked on last year. <br />46 <br />47 A consensus was previously reached that pure equity was not a realistic goal. The current <br />48 goal is to have funding within 4% of each other. Budget Administrator Rod Visser <br />49 distributed a graph which is in the permanent agenda file in the Clerk's office. This <br />50 graph indicated that equity would be reached in about the County <br />1 School funding is about 96% of Chapel Hill- Carrboro School funding. 6 In when theOnew scenario <br />52 the Chapel Hill -- Carrboro schools will begin to phase in with the SBII funding going from <br />