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25 <br /> <br />increases per pupil resources in the Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools District to a total of <br />$6,329.25. <br /> <br />Based on the requirements of State law, the County cannot equalize the total per pupil amount <br />since it must provide the same per pupil funding for current expenses to each district. At this <br />time, the County does not have a way to equalize the total per pupil funding unless each district <br />authorizes the same special district tax or the existing special district tax is eliminated. <br />Chair Rich said Commissioner Dorosin has brought this up repeatedly over the past <br />seven years, and she asked him to elaborate this evening. <br /> <br /> Commissioner Dorosin said the County has per pupil funding based on enrollment: <br />60/40 between CHCCS and OCS. He said CHCCS also has the special district tax, which <br />results in about an extra $2000/more per student. He said there is something that is inequitable <br />about this process, and he wonders how the Board can justify this disparity within the County. <br />He said his proposal in the past has been to do general fund increases, with decreases in the <br />special district tax. He said he is aware OCS rejected a district tax years ago. He said he is <br />open to creative ways of how to address this inequity. <br />Commissioner Dorosin said the BOCC should reach out to its legislative delegation for a <br />local bill to reduce disparity without cutting education. <br />Chair Rich said the General Assembly component is crucial, and of all the districts with a <br />special tax, CHCCS is the highest. <br />Commissioner Price said if it comes through the general fund it will raise taxes for <br />everyone. <br />Commissioner Dorosin said if the BOCC wanted to lower the district tax, then it would be <br />offsetting. <br />Commissioner Price said the residents in OCS would see it as a tax increase for <br />schools. <br />Commissioner Dorosin said the tax would be for all schools. <br />Commissioner Price said opinions may have changed, but OCS residents have <br />historically said no to raising taxes to pay for schools. <br />Commissioner Dorosin said it would be part of their property tax. He said the difference <br />would be that the amount of monies to OCS in the annual budget would go up, and the amount <br />going to CHCCS would remain the same. <br />Commissioner Greene said Commissioner Dorosin is technically correct, and <br />Commissioner Price is correct in what the perception would be among the OCS voters. She <br />said OCS residents do not see this as evening things up, but rather as an increase in taxes, <br />and there is no other reason than to re-appropriate the taxes. <br />Commissioner Greene said it would be nice to know what the voters in the OCS district <br />thought, and maybe there needs to be another referendum. <br />Commissioner Dorosin said this idea is only one proposal, and he is open to all ideas. <br />He said if his proposal were to pass, they would see a regular increase in money going to the <br />OCS. <br />Commissioner Marcoplos said this tax solution is the only solution has been identified. <br />He said he has lived here a long time, and generally, in rural Orange County people are happy <br />with their schools, with good reason. He said people would rather not have their taxes raised, <br />and still have good schools. <br />Commissioner Marcoplos said in CHCCS, there are people who want their taxes raised <br />for their schools, as they can afford it. He recommended hiring a polling company to see what <br />people think in both school districts.