Minutes 02-22-2022 Virtual Joint Meeting with the Schools

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14 Commissioner Greene said the county funds were to be used for mental health or achievement. She said she appreciated that Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools proposal to allocate 100% of the funds towards mental health. She said she was having trouble connecting the Orange County proposal for salary increases to mental health, especially for positions that are not in the classroom. She said increases for those positions should come through the budget process. Dr. Felder said it takes all staff to support student achievement. She said they cannot have student achievement without classified staff. She said since these are recurring funds, by addressing the salary needs they are shoring up their staff since they have a high number of vacancies. Vice Chair Bedford asked if there are steps in increases for Orange County classified staff in the supplement. Rhonda Rath said they do not have steps for classified staff, and it is a flat percentage. Vice Chair Bedford asked about certified staff. Rhonda Rath said that certified staff is based on years of service in Orange County Schools and goes from 12% to 18%. Chair Price arrived at the meeting at 8:05 p.m. Vice Chair Bedford said she was surprised by Orange County Schools' proposal being about salaries and compensation. She asked about the vacancies in Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools. She said she is worried about setting up differences for students between the school systems. Dr. Hamlett said they have 205 vacancies. She said they also just finished a classified compensation study and that was shared with their board last week. She said that next steps will be embedded in the budget process and the commissioners will be seeing those then. Vice Chair Bedford asked if Dr. Hamlett would have changed the proposal if she knew there were no limits on the money. Dr. Hamlett said they wanted to focus on what they knew would have a direct impact on their students. She said there are vacancies and shortages in critical areas but that she wanted to address the need for the achievement gap and the mental health needs. She said that is why they included issues that were lifted up during the last budget cycle. She said that mental distress in children is linked to lower academic achievement and poor study progress. She said mental health impacts students' ability to graduate on-time. She said it impacts their physical health and everything about their progress. She said her district chose to focus on mental health and wellness first using the grant funds from Orange County. She listed several ways that Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools are focusing on academic achievement. She said they are doing an equity audit and an equity framework across the district. She said they are also addressing learning loss in the achievement gap. She said they are also working on a curriculum and instruction audit to address the achievement gap, as well. Chair Deon Temne said there are other issues that affect the achievement gap such as housing and it is a large complex problem. He said that it includes affordable housing, access to broadband, and many other functions. Commissioner McKee said he understands that mental health is a critical part of education. He said that he does not understand how creating a new department in Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools improves educational outcomes. He said he is open to an explanation because he is having a very hard time understanding it. Board Member Dasi said her son is in the fifth grade and needs the social and emotional supports to succeed in school. She said kids are coming to school underprepared to learn. She