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

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13 1 Heather Thompson said that the Board holds the money and has the leverage to require 2 the school board to produce an alternative plan that solicits community input. She said that the 3 plan should also correspond with the towns and meet the goals of the community. She said that 4 a lot of work needs to be done on the plan, and it is not ready. She said that she is unsure that 5 the proposed committee will be asking for input. She said they want the bond and the betterment 6 of the schools but there are better options out there. She suggested that dual language students 7 at Frank Porter Graham be moved to the Lincoln Center campus since that office space is already 8 leased. She said that they should move adults, not children. 9 Katie Rankin said her child went to McDougle Elementary and had a good experience. 10 She said that her son started kindergarten in the pandemic, and it was so obvious that they had 11 joined a special community. She said they met new friends and volunteered as a family. She said 12 now they have two kids at McDOugle. She said her family is very active in the McDougle 13 community and looks forward to the school events. She said that the reason they are part of the 14 community is because of the proximity of the school near her home. She said she is an hourly 15 worker and if she is not at work, she is not earning money. She said the only reason she has been 16 able to be such a part is because of the location. She said that she worries about how the breakup 17 of McDougle and Estes Hills will affect the community and families that are already struggling to 18 be involved. She said she wants all children to learn in a safe building, but the school is more than 19 the sum of its buildings. She said staff will not stick around to find out if they are redundant in the 20 plan. She said kids need teachers that care for them. She said that she does not think the 21 disruption is necessary. She said she knows there is money needed but she cannot support this 22 bond as it is presented. 23 Samantha Corney said they love their teachers. She said that she loves a good ROI, and 24 she is unclear about the return. She said that schools are not just buckets for widgets and long- 25 term goals need to be thought of. She said they need to be thinking about what students need 26 years from now. She asked the Board to please protect their communities. 27 Alice Gordon left written comments with the Clerk to the Board. 28 Daniel Head said his children attend Estes Hills he said he plans to vote no on the 29 proposed bond referendum even though they recognize the need to support the school systems. 30 He said it is not ready in the form it is in. He said he has concerns about environmental 31 sustainability, and it is vital to maintain school walk zones that have been established. He said 32 tearing down the schools that children walk to and busing them across town does not make sense 33 when compared to the climate protection policies. He said the plan lacked input from community 34 members. He asked the Board to pause the process and get further input. 35 William McCall said his family moved to Chapel Hill in 2020 based solely on the strength 36 of the public school system. He said they now have two children and the things that brought them 37 there are going away. He said that the plan calls for his local school, Estes Hills, to be taken 38 offline. He said that the timeline is too vague, and it could be between two or ten years. He said 39 the neighborhoods are built on these schools and Estes Road was rebuilt to be able to handle the 40 traffic. He said that the town improved the walkability of Estes Drive, and many children walk to 41 school. He said that the current low enrollment at Estes Hills is an asset and ability to hedge 42 against future growth. He said that they would be better served for high capacity rather than less. 43 He said that the bond referendum is a raw deal for his family. He said that they get higher taxes 44 and the loss of their school. 45 Aron Woolman said that strong community ties bring those at the edges of the community 46 in and the plan that is place right now destroys community ties. He said there will be massive 47 effects to those most vulnerable. He asked the commissioners to hold the CHCCS Board of 48 Education accountable until they can fully understand the effects that the plan will have on various 49 aspects of the community. He said that destroying walk zones will make the neighborhoods less 50 desirable, lower home values, and there is already a war on public education and if this passes, 51 it makes the voucher option very desirable to his family because it might cause less disruption for