Agenda - 03-10-20; 8-a - Minutes

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8 1 Issuing Certificate of Adequate Public Schools (CAPS) for new residential 2 developments 3 4 o Purpose is to ensure that new residential growth within the county occurs at a 5 pace that allows the County and school districts to provide adequate school 6 facilities to serve students from the new developments. 7 o Building capacity shall be determined by a joint action of the School Boards and 8 Orange County Board of Commissioners. 9 Includes changes in class size ratios 10 11 Purpose 12 The SJAC is a short-term committee comprised of elected officials from the Chapel Hill- 13 Carrboro City Schools Board of Education, Orange County Board of Education, and 14 Orange County Board of Commissioners. Appointed members include: 15 o Rani Dasi, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education 16 o Dr. Stephen Halkiotis, Orange County Board of Education 17 o Penny Rich, Orange County Board of Commissioners 18 19 SJAC also includes staff support from Orange County Managers Office, Orange County 20 Planning Department, Orange County Schools, and Chapel Hill — Carrboro City Schools 21 To discuss legislative implications (i.e. class size impacts to school capacity) for 22 inclusion into the Schools Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (SAPFO) projections 23 and provide recommendations on how/when to implement. 24 25 Background 26 SJAC have conducted three meetings to review impacts and options before determining 27 how to implement elementary school class size reductions for SAPFO purposes. 28 o January 31 — Reviewed changes in class size ratios outlined in House Bills 13 29 and 90 30 o March 8 — Reviewed student projections and potential impacts resulting from 31 changes in class size ratios 32 o April 10 — Reviewed implementation options 33 Identified concerns with Pre-K classroom capacities being included in 34 total elementary school capacity numbers. If coupled with the actual Pre- 35 K use of school space (which is not part of the SAPFO capacity standard) 36 the problem is worsened. 37 38 Student Capacity and Projections (chart) 39 40 Commissioner Dorosin asked if the projections are based in anything in particular. 41 Craig Benedict said staff looks at the enrollment for past years, and projects those 42 numbers forwards. He said in the ten year cohort projection, staff goes back 10 years and sees 43 how kindergarten graduates to first, first to second, etc. He said three and five year cohorts 44 have a smaller picture. He said if there is a major spike in a three year period, the projection 45 would show it a lot faster. He said the other two projections are mathematical and linear, and it 46 takes past history into the future. He said the MOU requires the numbers to be averaged to 47 create a muted model. 48 Commissioner Dorosin asked if this process takes the rise in charter schools into 49 account, in the Orange County School (OCS) system, in particular. He asked if it also takes 50 into account what is on the drawing board, due to developments in Hillsborough.