Agenda - 11-13-2018 8-a - Minutes

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13 the Orange County Schools Board of Education and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of 1 Education. 2 Craig Benedict, Planning Director, reviewed the information below: 3 4 BACKGROUND: 5 The State of North Carolina enacted legislation in 2017 resulting in a decrease in class size 6 averages from 1:20 to 1:17 for kindergarten to third grade for the 2018-2019 school year. Due 7 to significant statewide ramifications as a result of the reduced class size averages, the North 8 Carolina General Assembly unveiled House Bill 90 which allows for a phasing-in process to 9 address the decrease in class size averages over the next four years. Based on House Bill 90, 10 average class sizes for kindergarten to third grade will be phased-in as provided below: 11 12 Due to impacts to elementary school capacity resulting from these reductions, the Schools 13 Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance Technical Advisory Committee (SAPFOTAC) identified the 14 need for the Schools Joint Action Committee (SJAC) to meet in order to discuss options and 15 determine how to implement the school capacity changes in the 2019 SAPFO report and 10-16 year student membership and building capacity projections sheets. Based on the adopted 17 SAPFO Memoranda of Understanding, school building capacity shall be determined by 18 reference to state guidelines and school district guidelines and by a joint action of the School 19 Boards and Orange County Board of Commissioners. 20 21 The SJAC is comprised of elected officials from the Orange County Schools Board of 22 Education, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education, and Orange County Board of 23 Commissioners. The SJAC last met in 2005 to discuss and recommend how to implement 24 elementary level class size reductions related to legislation implemented at that time. At the 25 time, the SJAC decided to defer reductions, for SAPFO purposes, to elementary level class size 26 averages for both districts until after the opening of Morris Grove Elementary School in 2008. 27 The Committee is expected to meet twice to review and discuss impacts and options before 28 determining how to implement class size reductions for SAPFO purposes. Orange County 29 Planning staff will organize and provide staff support at the committee meetings. Staff from 30 Orange County Schools and Chapel Hill – Carrboro City Schools will be invited to attend. In 31 order to proceed with the formation of the Schools Joint Action Committee, a letter from the 32 Board of County Commissioners Chair must be sent to the Orange County Schools Board of 33 Education and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education. This letter (Attachment 1) 34 provides a brief summary and request for appointments to the committee. 35 36 Commissioner Price said the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners 37 (NCACC) has been looking at the class-size mandates, and the issue is in their top 5 goals, but 38 not their top 3. She said this is still a big issue with a lot of opposition. 39 Commissioner Jacobs asked if the SJAC is more broadly discussing the use of the 40 Schools Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (SAPFO). He said there is no enforcement 41 mechanism in the private sector, and the only enforcement mechanism is to require to the 42 BOCC to build the schools. 43 Craig Benedict said the SAPFO has been more of a Capital Improvement planning 44 mechanism rather than an enforcement mechanism, and he said the benefits of the SAPFO 45 have been well done over the years at keeping in tune with enrollment, capacity and State 46 legislation. 47 Commissioner Jacobs said it is a good planning tool. 48 Craig Benedict said yes. 49