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

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15 1 said the impacts will have lasting impacts for years to come and the decision to build a new middle 2 school for McDougle School is fiscally and environmentally irresponsible. She asked why a new 3 middle school is needed. She said that no middle school has capacity concerns and begs to ask 4 why it is being recommended. She said it sets a dangerous precedent. She said other plans were 5 presented by Woolpert that were more urgent. She said that the basis of the plan lacks 6 transparency, disrupts the community, and takes away funds from where they are needed the 7 most. 8 Erik Guste said that the consultant's study focused on needs and improvements. He said 9 it did not focus on strengths. He said his family moved to their neighborhood so his children could 10 attend McDougle. He described how his children go to school each day together and can support 11 each other. He said that the impact of breaking up siblings will mean that people have to take 12 their kids in different directions each day. He said that the impact on the community will be dire. 13 Erin Jackson said she is an Estes Hills parent. She will have two children there in the next 14 year. She said investing in children is investing in the future. She said that she understands that 15 the commissioners are only responsible for the purse strings and not the specific plans. She said 16 she is requesting transparency on how the plan will work and what stipulations will come with 17 bond approval. She said that she wants to know more about what the facilities aspect contains. 18 She asked if teachers and parents were a part of this process. She said that the plan as is will 19 decimate the community. 20 Mark Siegal said he agrees that the schools need more funding and facilities, and he 21 would be more than happy to support that with taxes, but not the way it is being proposed. He 22 said that the plan ignores the effect on the environment, the impact of the bus driver shortage, 23 and the removal of the walk zones and community. He said that it why they bought their home 24 where they did. He said less than 1/3 of the kids require bussing to get to school. He said he 25 cannot imagine the same sense of belonging if they had to bus their kids to different schools. He 26 said that if they have a middle schooler and elementary schooler then they must go to two different 27 areas. He said he understands that they are not in charge of the plan, but a better plan needs to 28 be presented before folks like him can get behind the bond and support it. 29 Meredith Niess said her children attend Estes Hills. She said she supports a bond to help 30 facilities and costs over the next decade. She said her concerns are that the plan only considers 31 facilities, costs, and enrollment modeling that may have flaws. She said that it did not consider 32 other elements of the community. She said she is bothered by the lack of communication and 33 coordination with the Town of Chapel Hill's Complete Communities Plan. She said the people that 34 were involved with that were not in communication with the consultants. She said Estes Hills has 35 a highly effective and loved principal and low teacher turnover. She said that she has developed 36 a wonderful sense of community. She said the heart of a school is not in a building and she said 37 that none of these plans take that into account. She said that she is not comfortable moving 38 forward with a plan without heart. 39 Deanna Vecchio said she is a teacher and resident. She said that she is concerned about 40 how the bond will be utilized. She said that the plan submitted by the school district lacked the 41 voice of families and staff. She strongly encouraged this bond to be reconsidered until it can be 42 shown how it will impact the wider community. 43 Laura Saucedo said she is a teacher in the CHCCS district. She said they found out about 44 the plan through one slide, and it felt like it was just swept under the rug. She said they did not 45 have a say in any of it. She said that so many kids walk to school now and the bus system is 46 broken, and they have a shortage. She said her students have been late many times due to 47 buses. She said that many staff members are looking for other options because they do not know 48 what the future holds for them. She said that her school is more than just a school and there is a 49 very tight community that she is not ready to lose. She asked the Board to protect the schools 50 and the children's mental health. She asked them to please protect what they have built. She said 51 that she will be voting no on the bond referendum.