Agenda - 03-04-2004-8d - Laserfiche WebLink

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r1f E ,_,-~ , r.~~. November 20, 2002 Ms, Valerie Foushee, Chair Chapel HilhCarrboro Board of Education Lincoln Center, Merritt Mill Road Chapel Hill, NC 27516 Dear Ms. Foushee: I write on behalf of the Orange County Board of Commissioners in response to correspondence we received in late October from the Board of Education on the subject of new school facilities, As you well recognize through repeated public acknowledgements by your Board members, the County Commissioners remain firmly committed to meeting the operational and capital needs of both school systems and their students, That commitment is well-documented through Orange County's long- standing ranking at the top of the list of county per pupil appropriations, and through capital improvements funding of several hundred million dollars since we undertook the 1988 bond referendum. A recent audit of County finances indicates that 50 percent of our budget is devoted to education. We appreciate the collaborative spirit with which we and the two school boards have worked in recent years, As I said at a recent meeting, although we do not always communicate perfectly, the commitment to communicate remains strong. In that regard, we believe it is important far the BOCC to lay out in this letter certain considerations and constraints that will affect what can and what cannot realistically be achieved in pursuing the direction established in your Board's resolution of October 17, 2002. Our observations are founded in our unanimous and collective judgment that the best way to sustain the community's support far education is to continue to demonstrate proactive planning in a fiscally prudent manner, It is our intention to maintain our commitment to excellent schools while balancing those needs with the numerous other County obligations to provide high quality human services, public safety, and other vital County services, The County has achieved an enviably strong financial position and top-level bond ratings through sound fiscal management and creation of and adherence to a rational debt management policy, This has occurred while demonstrating a willingness to raise revenue necessary to carry out awell-conceived long-range capital investment plan for essential school and County facilities, Within that context, this letter will touch upon the numbered paragraphs in your resolution, The BOGC anticipates recommendations coming from the High School Planning Task Force by the end of the calendar year on the scope of the proposed third high school in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro system, Based an our construction standards and identified funding in the CIP, $27,8 million is the total expected to