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15 <br /> 1 Slide #16 <br /> t~ Orange County <br /> C Schools <br /> NORTH CAROLINA <br /> oxnxse co ry rr zcxo WLs _viF y xWwroq.rv.nn.dio.1]llr r't r.lz]xt]e WNw.xPcxsf coxTrFrPST cox <br /> 2 <br /> 3 Chair Bedford asked how field trips are funded now. <br /> 4 Rhonda Rath said they are funded by parents or school fundraisers. She said the <br /> 5 $200,000 mentioned is to supplement funds for students who cannot afford to go on field trips. <br /> 6 Chair Bedford asked if there are some kids having to stay back from trips, or if there are <br /> 7 just fewer field trips. <br /> 8 Dr. Jones said for some schools there are fewer trips. She said that part of the issue is <br /> 9 fuel costs because if the field trip is free for the children, they still have to pay for the fuel and <br /> 10 the bus driver. She said if there are schools that do not have a healthy PTSO budget, it does <br /> 11 limit what they can do. <br /> 12 Chair Purcell said the OCS Board of Education is looking at the equity of field trips <br /> 13 across the district and noted that some schools have trips, and some do not have any. <br /> 14 Dr. Jones said they would also like to make sure field trips connect to curriculum and <br /> 15 that will be reviewed in the summer. <br /> 16 Commissioner Portie-Ascott said she toured an EC classroom at A.L. Stanback. She <br /> 17 asked how the district will prioritize retaining those staff members, given the additional impact of <br /> 18 turnover on those students. <br /> 19 Dr. Jones said that is part of the work with the teachers of the year and includes the <br /> 20 classified staff. She said they are looking at training and development for their teacher <br /> 21 assistants. She said they are reviewing the EC budget, and they are meeting to review the <br /> 22 budget to make sure they are prioritizing funds where they are needed most, which is in the <br /> 23 classrooms. She said the district staff are pushing into classrooms now when support is needed. <br /> 24 Commissioner Hamilton asked about the change in the formula for state funding and the <br /> 25 impact it will have. She asked what would happen if more students enroll after day 40. <br /> 26 Rhonda Rath said there is a formula to provide funds on a per pupil basis if there are <br /> 27 additional enrollments. She said the state pulls enrollment data from the school and allots funds <br /> 28 to the districts. She said the funds sometimes lag 3-4 months. <br /> 29 Commissioner Hamilton asked what that means for fund balance and cash flow. <br /> 30 Rhonda Rath said that is one of the reasons it is important to have a fund balance to <br /> 31 front the cash flow. <br /> 32 Chair Bedford said previously the state would do a projection but would take away funds. <br /> 33 Rhonda Rath said they would not see a decrease if student membership decreased until <br /> 34 the next year. <br /> 35 Chair Bedford said the Orange County Chief Financial Officer has the ability to advance <br /> 36 funds if the schools need it but that mostly works with Chapel-Hill Carrboro in their special <br /> 37 district funds. She said that people wait until the end of December to pay property taxes. <br /> 38 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if they might use fund balance for STEM teachers. <br />