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7 <br /> said his family was fortunate that when his daughter was born, he was able to stay at home <br /> during her first months, as the school year just ended. He said many of his colleagues cannot <br /> do this. He said going forward, he would like Orange County to have what other nations and <br /> some other states do, which is to fund paid parental leave to allow parents to stay home with <br /> their newborns. He said school teachers are asked every day look out for the community's most <br /> precious resource, our children, and he is asking the same of the Board, to help teachers' <br /> families. He said he is lucky to live in an area that is receptive to this idea, and thanked the <br /> Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) for its support of public school systems. <br /> Susan Friedman, Associate Director, Compass Center thanked the Board for its <br /> continued support, without which the Compass Center could not serve the nearly 6,500 people <br /> in the community. She said in January, the Compass Center started providing housing support <br /> services, and in April, it started providing e-filing services. She said the number of people <br /> requesting domestic protection has doubled in this area, and this month the Compass Center <br /> will start a program to provide mental health services for children. She said the Compass <br /> Center works with many other agencies to ensure that the community members have access to <br /> the services, and look forward to continuing our partnership and working with others. <br /> Charlie Cleary said he lives in Hillsborough, grew up in Orange County, married a local <br /> person, and would like to thank the BOCC for its support for the OE Enterprises. He said he is <br /> grateful for this funding as an OE board member and parent of a recipient of this assistance. <br /> Denise Moody, Program Director at OE Enterprises thanked the Commissioners for the <br /> outside agency funding, which provides transition funding for programs with people with <br /> disabilities. She said programs that support this work are hard to find. She introduced Emily, <br /> who is here to tell about the work she does. <br /> Emily said she has been working the mail route for 6 years, and likes having a job. <br /> Archie Wright said he has been with Orange Enterprises for 3.5 years, and appreciates <br /> the work and support of OE enterprises. <br /> Mary Ann Wolf, Vice Chair of the Chapel Hill Carrboro School Board said that for many <br /> months, they have been working on their strategic plan, and are giving careful thought to their <br /> decisions. She said the school system appreciates the BOCC's hard work and difficult choices. <br /> She said CHCCS has a strong focus on equity. She said about 3.6% of this year's budget <br /> request relates to inflation, and the CHCCS board is working to address significant needs in <br /> school safety and maternity/paternity leave, which will also help improve outcomes. She said <br /> the CHCCS board is happy to live in an area where education is a high priority, but the state or <br /> North Carolina is tricky. She said CHCCS is 11th in North Carolina in total per pupil in funding, <br /> but North Carolina is 37th in the nation. She said the national average per pupil expenditure is <br /> $12,526, and CHCCS is $11,932. She said even though CHCCS is an example of a highly <br /> funded district in NC, it is still hundreds of dollars below the national per pupil average. She <br /> said the CHCCS board greatly appreciate the BOCC support, and is very careful with its use of <br /> funds, and the requests being made. <br /> Kristin Jackson said she is a parent and a teacher, and thanked the BOCC for providing <br /> funding for equity services. She said CHCCS ranks high in the State, but there is a great deal <br /> of work to do, and North Carolina is projected to stay at 39th this year. She said funding should <br /> be a source of pride; being number one in a state that is 391h does not say much. She said the <br /> school supplements allow districts to be more selective in who is recruited, but the State no <br /> longer offers corresponding pay for enhanced degrees. She said the 2019 Stanford Center for <br /> Education Policy Analysis still shows that CHCCS has the 2"d largest achievement gap in the <br /> nation, and humbly asked the BOCC to continue a high level of funding to close this <br /> achievement gap. <br /> Marisa Martini said she works for Habitat for Humanity, handling the home preservation <br /> programs. She thanked the BOCC for its commitment to affordable housing, and the Manager <br />