Minutes 04-29-2025-Joint Meeting With School Boards

Browse Search

17 Commissioner McKee asked if either district has been notified of federal cuts. He asked what the districts consider a probable loss vs. a possible loss. Rhonda Rath said OCS has lost a $30,000 grant that helped get local produce into the menu at the schools. She said they are already looking at how to mitigate that so there is no impact to menus or lunch prices. She said that a probable loss in Title I is 15-20% as well as 15- 20% in special education. Jonathon Scott said CHCCS has not received any notification of cuts. He said they have discussed reductions and for years there has been talk about eliminating Title I funding, so that would likely be where they would start. Vice Chair Hamilton thanked the districts for their presentations and for their proactive work anticipating possible cuts and making plans. She said that the county will also be facing similar budget cuts from federal dollars. She said those are hard and they will all need to be flexible and aware of how they will respond. She said that echoing Chair Bedford, it is a difficult position to be in as a county commissioner because they want to invest in the children and provide services for the most vulnerable in the community, but they are also aware that they can't just raise taxes to do that or bring in a big company that could bail them out. She said they are going to look at everything. She said there are forces at play larger than what the county can control. She said they need to focus on the basics by investing in people and the infrastructure that supports people. Chair Bedford asked if they would see what the county's potential federal cuts might be. Travis Myren said $20 million in federal funding flows through the county budget. He said that some does support positions directly. He said they also support housing choice vouchers that flow through the Housing Department to residents in the form of housing vouchers. Chair Bedford asked if the federal government cuts Medicaid would additional money be lost. Travis Myren said there is about $230 million in federal funding that provides direct benefits to residents of Orange County. Chair Bedford said to call senators every week and to keep speaking out at state and federal level. 3. Group Discussion and Collaboration Chair Bedford asked Commissioners and members of the Boards of Education to think about some topics for conversation and collaboration between the elected bodies that they are not normally able to have. She said their joint meeting in the spring is typically limited to budget discussions, but there is opportunity at the September joint meeting to dive deeper into other topics. Riza Jenkins asked when the budget public hearings will be held. Travis Myren said they will be held on May 13t" and May 29tn Laura Jensen said they will be held at Southern and Whitted, respectively. Chair Bedford said the deadline for budget amendments is noon on May 28th. She said the budget will be adopted on June 17t", but the decisions are made at the previous meeting when the Board approved the Intent to Adopt. She thanked the school districts for their presentations. The Board recessed the meeting for 10 minutes at 8:33 p.m to allow school board members to exit the meeting room. The Board reconvened at 8:43 p.m. 4. Board of Commissioners' Closed Session A motion was made by Vice-Chair Hamilton, seconded by Commissioner Fowler, to enter into Closed Session pursuant to G.S. § 143-318.11(a)(3) "To consult with an attorney employed