Agenda 06-04-2019 8-a - Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

7 1 A motion was made by Commissioner Dorosin, seconded by Commissioner Greene to 2 open the public hearing. 3 4 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 5 6 3. Public Comment 7 8 Brian Link said he is a father, a voter and a proud public school teacher. He asked that 9 the Board fully fund the CHCCS request, and make changes necessary to fund the students. 10 He said the letter, which was handed out, is regarding the request for paid parental leave. He 11 said his family was fortunate that when his daughter was born, he was able to stay at home 12 during her first months, as the school year just ended. He said many of his colleagues cannot 13 do this. He said going forward, he would like Orange County to have what other nations and 14 some other states do, which is to fund paid parental leave to allow parents to stay home with 15 their newborns. He said school teachers are asked every day look out for the community's most 16 precious resource, our children, and he is asking the same of the Board, to help teachers' 17 families. He said he is lucky to live in an area that is receptive to this idea, and thanked the 18 Board of County Commissioners (BOCC)for its support of public school systems. 19 Susan Friedman, Associate Director, Compass Center thanked the Board for its 20 continued support, without which the Compass Center could not serve the nearly 6,500 people 21 in the community. She said in January, the Compass Center started providing housing support 22 services, and in April, it started providing e-filing services. She said the number of people 23 requesting domestic protection has doubled in this area, and this month the Compass Center 24 will start a program to provide mental health services for children. She said the Compass 25 Center works with many other agencies to ensure that the community members have access to 26 the services, and look forward to continuing our partnership and working with others. 27 Charlie Cleary said he lives in Hillsborough, grew up in Orange County, married a local 28 person, and would like to thank the BOCC for its support for the OE Enterprises. He said he is 29 grateful for this funding as an OE board member and parent of a recipient of this assistance. 30 Denise Moody, Program Director at OE Enterprises thanked the Commissioners for the 31 outside agency funding, which provides transition funding for programs with people with 32 disabilities. She said programs that support this work are hard to find. She introduced Emily, 33 who is here to tell about the work she does. 34 Emily (no last name given) said she has been working the mail route for 6 years, and 35 likes having a job. 36 Archie Wright said he has been with Orange Enterprises for 3.5 years, and appreciates 37 the work and support of OE enterprises. 38 Mary Ann Wolf, Vice Chair of the Chapel Hill Carrboro School Board said that for many 39 months, they have been working on their strategic plan, and are giving careful thought to their 40 decisions. She said the school system appreciates the BOCC's hard work and difficult choices. 41 She said CHCCS has a strong focus on equity. She said about 3.6% of this year's budget 42 request relates to inflation, and the CHCCS board is working to address significant needs in 43 school safety and maternity/paternity leave, which will also help improve outcomes. She said 44 the CHCCS board is happy to live in an area where education is a high priority, but the state or 45 North Carolina is tricky. She said CHCCS is 111h in North Carolina in total per pupil in funding, 46 but North Carolina is 37th in the nation. She said the national average per pupil expenditure is 47 $12,526, and CHCCS is $11,932. She said even though CHCCS is an example of a highly 48 funded district in NC, it is still hundreds of dollars below the national per pupil average. She 49 said the CHCCS board greatly appreciate the BOCC support, and is very careful with its use of 50 funds, and the requests being made.