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12 <br /> Commissioner Richards asked if any of Governor Cooper's budget proposals, which <br /> includes raises for teachers, were factored into Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools' budget <br /> proposal. She reviewed the anticipated increases. <br /> Jonathan Scott said that they were not and that he was just made aware by her <br /> statement that Gov. Cooper's budget had been released that day. <br /> Commissioner Richards said that Governor Cooper just released it today. She said it <br /> has an additional 2.5% for state employees and teachers, bringing their raises to 7.5%. She <br /> said that retention for teachers is $2,000 bonus for those making les that $75,000. She said <br /> that the budget is generous. She asked how long will it take the school system to look at that <br /> and incorporate it into their budget. <br /> Jonathan Scott said it is not part of this request but would be built into the continuation <br /> budget. He said that he was hesitant to put a number out, but it would, at minimum, increase <br /> the continuation budget request by $800,000 and then include supplements but he said it would <br /> be over $1 million. He said they do not have a plan for that and once it becomes law they will <br /> circle back and get a firm estimate of the cost. He said they may come back to request <br /> additional money or look internally for funds. <br /> Commissioner Fowler asked if paternity leave included maternity leave. <br /> Jonathan Scott said it includes both genders and applies to both. <br /> Commissioner Fowler asked if the district does not currently have that available. <br /> Jonathan Scott said they do not. He said that currently employees are eligible for what <br /> they would qualify for under the Family and Medical Leave Act and have to use either sick or <br /> annual leave to cover those days off. He said this would allow the employees to retain their <br /> accrued leave. He said a lot of employees are early in their careers and only earn 12 days of <br /> leave per year and that they are made to take that leave during their family leave. <br /> Commissioner Bedford clarified that Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools did not lose over <br /> 900 students. She said the actual loss was 262 students. She said Orange County Schools <br /> gained 65 students. She said the budget used state projections, which are high. She said it is a <br /> drop in state funding, but the actual students did not leave. <br /> Commissioner McKee asked for the fund balance amount on12/31/2021. <br /> Jonathan Scott said on June 30, 2021, they had $11.35 million in unassigned fund <br /> balance. He said that did not include $2.5 million appropriated by the board to balance the <br /> budget last year for continuation. He said from June to December, that appropriation rose to <br /> $5.5 million. He said they did that to build outdoor eating and learning areas, a per pupil <br /> allotment for COVID mitigation, and employee bonuses. He said the approximate number is <br /> around $8.3 million in unassigned fund balance. <br /> Commissioner McKee said one of the main drivers of the public attending the budget <br /> public hearing on May 10, 2022, was that they needed a 3% raise. He said he knows there are <br /> a lot of factors to weigh into that. He said an across the board of 3% would be roughly $1.4 <br /> million dollars and leave enough budget in the reserve to meet the minimum. He said he was <br /> questioning why there was no recommendation going into the last school year to increase <br /> salaries to attract more teachers. <br /> Jonathan Scott said that is an excellent question. He said that they do not want to add <br /> recurring expenses to a budget without funding available. <br /> Commissioner McKee said he understands that but all he is hearing is that they are in <br /> an emergency situation. He said that includes the loss of teachers. He said he is not an <br /> advocate of a school board sitting on a fund balance that is more than what they are required to <br /> have. He said that they knew there was a situation of losing personnel and teachers but there <br /> was not an attempt to solve that but to come back and ask for an increase of funding, which he <br /> is in favor of, but there are lingering questions about the mechanics of it. He said in his mind, <br /> they are running a year late. He said he is concerned that there was a large sum of money that <br />