Minutes 02-25-2020 Schools - Laserfiche WebLink

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22 Chair Rich said this entire conversation started when the General Assembly placed unfunded mandates on the classroom size for grades K-3. She said these are tough questions, and there is a constant attack on public education. She said the needs are constant. CHCCS Chair Wolf said she is in favor of counting existing students, and if there are operating funds for new classrooms, that would be wonderful. She said having accurate numbers will better inform capacity discussions moving forward. Chair Rich asked if counting existing students will affect the waiting lists. OCS Chair Atherton said it does not address the waiting lists, and the waiting list should remain a separate issue. He said the only way to address the waiting list is with funding, and that will be seen in the schools' budget requests. Commissioner Marcoplos said if existing pre-K students are not counted, the County will never know the implications. OCS Chair Atherton said in OCS, SAPFO can be updated with an amendment. He said if the goal is to approve the counting of current students, the Board of County Commissioners would approve the proposal, then Hillsborough, and then OCS and then the same process for CHCCS. He said after all have approved and signed, it would be in effect. Commissioner Bedford said that could take a long time, and possibly not pass. She said another option would be to present the numbers as they are now, and share the information in a format as if the capacities were different, including those in pre-K, so that all know the projections. Commissioner Bedford said the CAPS would stay the same, under the law, and legal dollars are not at risk when a first CAP is denied. She said if numbers are presented with the new capacities for the building on another page, then the BOCC will have the numbers. She said this could be done simultaneously. She said she could anticipate some strong push back, as SAPFO was not easy to get done in the first place. OCS Chair Atherton said both schools have consulted their attorneys, and The Town of Hillsborough is open for discussion. He said he does not anticipate large pushback. Chair Rich said this item needs to go on the Board of County Commissioners' agenda first, with full information, projection numbers, and discussion. OCS Chair Atherton said the BOCC has been given these numbers and reviewed them in the recent work session. He said there is no way to expand the pre-K program, as there are no funds. He said the numbers that were shared are the only numbers there are. Chair Rich said this should be added to the next agenda review. Rani Dasi asked if Commissioner Bedford could clarify where she expects there to be pushback. Commissioner Bedford said there was a county near Charlotte that was challenged, and it was found illegal. She said it was very similar case. She said several years ago in Orange County, a request was brought forward to abolish SAPFO, but it was kept due to its value as a planning tool. She said in the 1990s, some of the schools were incredibly overcrowded, and SAPFO was created to address that problem. She said the desire was to stay under the radar. Commissioner Dorosin said someone was denied permission to build a school. Commissioner Bedford said yes, and that is what will happen if capacity is increased, but there are no funds to build a school, and the school district will deny CAPS. She said then the County will have to provide the legal dollars to defend that case. Commissioner Dorosin said there is no legal obligation to deny CAPS, and SAPFO is a planning tool. Commissioner Bedford said the tool actually says the school boards must issue CAPS. She said when Northside ES was built, the CHCCS school board could have denied CAPS during that year, but since the funding was in force, and going to be coming, there was a gentleman's agreement to not do that, but legally it could have been done.