Agenda - 09-17-2024; 8-a - Minutes

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12 1 Chair Bedford said it is the best estimate at this time and the law requires the highest 2 interest rate in the last 20 years so this is the best estimate for now. 3 4 A motion was made by Commissioner Fowler, seconded by Commissioner McKee, to 5 open the public hearing. 6 7 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 8 9 PUBLIC COMMENTS: 10 Leah Milks said she is with the McDougle School PTA. She said that they are not there 11 to speak out against the bond, but they would like to see changes to the plan so they can get the 12 community on board with that. She said they worry that the proposal is fiscally irresponsible 13 because it is not an efficient or effective use of funds because it focuses only on facilities. She 14 said it does not take into consideration the student or town population growth. She said it does 15 not consider the impact on teachers, students, transportation costs or logistics. She said that by 16 focusing on rebuilding schools, they disregard the value of investments and interrupt students. 17 She said the school requires an auditorium rather than a complete rebuild. She said that would 18 leave room to update the school with an auditorium and could build a dual language school 19 elsewhere. She said that there is no capacity to relocate McDougle. She said this offers no 20 assurance of the school reaching capacity in the future and maintaining unused classrooms on 21 the middle school side of campus would be a waste of taxpayer funds. She asked them not to 22 ignore the data. She said that Woolpert's plan for Culbreth ignores the building upgrades and 23 renovations that is unreasonable for this type of funding. She said that due to these limitations in 24 the plan, she asked that they seek more information prior to voting on the plan. 25 Karin Crozier, also representing the PTA, discussed equity and equal access to education. 26 She said the school district has a racial equity decision making process that involves many 27 partners. She said it is even used when developing a book fair, but it appears that the process 28 was not used when developing the capital outlay plan. She said that the consulting firm was paid 29 to assess buildings and facilities, but they do not see evidence that the same care and 30 expenditures went into the process to understanding the impact on the black, Latino, and non- 31 white families. She said that the proposal combines the Spanish dual language program and that 32 would mean that some students will face an unreasonably long commute to school. She said that 33 this would create the biggest elementary school in the district and potentially create many 34 negative consequences. She said that some families may choose a district school over a large 35 school across town, and this would mean that many Hispanic families would face unintentional 36 segregation. She said that this plan has many kids moving from school to school in a few years 37 and this would potentially create an ever-changing atmosphere of peers, teachers, and staff. She 38 said that they know the importance of community, stability, and positive relationships for all kids. 39 She said that the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro show a strong commitment to closing the 40 equity gap. She said that she understands that the commissioners are not in charge of districting, 41 but she said they all have a responsibility to make sure that the children are cared for. 42 Heather Kennealy, also representing the PTA, said they also represent people in the 43 community and teachers. She said that they submitted a letter that summarizes their concerns, 44 and her part is transportation. She said that the plan from CHCCS decimates the two largest walk 45 zones. She said that there will be increased buses and the need for bus drivers. She said you 46 must think of this as a shell game when you move students around. She said it will be detrimental 47 to the climate. She said it contradicts district policies on walk zones. She said that it will increase 48 kids'times on buses and decrease their time families. She said the Board of Commissioners can 49 require a change of the school board because they have the funds. She said that there should 50 be financial projections with the increased cost, increased climate erosion, negative impacts to 51 the most vulnerable, and proper evaluation of town investment in walk zones.