Agenda - 03-31-2005-6 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Lincoln Center, 750 S. Merritf Mill Road Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516 -2881 The Board of Education Nell C.. Pedersen Superintendent Moses Carey County Commissioner 901 L,ystra Lane Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Deaz Commissioner Carey: Telephone: (9191967.8211 Ext. 226 FAX: (9191933-4560 Llsa Stuckey Chair, Board of Education Ianaury 4, 2005 The Orange County Board of County Commissioners requested feedback from our school district concerning the recently adopted 60 - 40 split of capital funds between the schools and the county. The Chapel Hill -Carrboro City School Board discussed the resolution at its December 2, 2004 meeting. At the School Board's direction, I shared our questions with the Collaboration Committee at its December 13, 2004 meeting. At your request, I am writing this letter so that my Board's concerns can be shared with the other members of the BOCC. The Schooi Board understands that there are county facility needs that, if met, would provide value to the community. Funds are insufficient to meet all of these needs as well as the anticipated needs of the school districts. However, we have several concerns about the rationale and implications for the 60 - 40 split. 1. We do not see the need to adopt a target for allocating capital spending. Of specific concern is how future conditions which are not present or anticipated today will be addressed using ttre target. We would recoinmend that instead of identifying a formula, the BOCC work in conjunction with a community task force and prioritize capital needs in light of conditions present when the decisions aze made. Some flexibility seems inevitable since the future cannot be predicted. If the goal is to address unmet county needs and to make citizens aware that priorities have shifted, that can be done without the limitations and inflexibility of apre-determined target.. 2, No basis for the 60 - 40 ratio is apparent. We are not aware that an assessment of capital needs has been made which compares the county needs versus the school needs that exist now or are anticipated to exist in the future, 3 The Board of Education is concerned about how a 60 - 40 split would be implemented For example, would the split apply to bond money, alternative funding and / or sales tax funds? In addition to needing a new elementary school within the next decade, our district is very concerned about maintaining and upgrading our older facilities, Frequently, upkeep of older buildings revolves around health and safety issues. Should a bond be