Agenda 08-26-2025; 8-a - Minutes

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9 1 PUBLIC COMMENTS: 2 Mae St. George said she thought there could more done to help people stay in their homes 3 and asked the Board to reduce the budget. She asked the commissioners to check their hearts 4 when making budget decisions. 5 Lynn Nilssen said she is a volunteer with Public Schools Strong. She said that there are 6 economic and social benefits to good schools. She said that good schools are high priorities for 7 families and benefit communities. She said there is great value provided by public schools. She 8 said Orange County Schools (OCS) and Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) are the 9 county's 3rd and 41h largest employers. She said that she is also a real estate agent and 10 understands the rise of property values and taxes over time. She said the tax burden has been 11 shifted to local governments because the state has a state regressive tax policy that will cut the 12 corporate and personal income tax to zero by 2030. She said that these cuts will result in $13 13 billion less in state revenue. She said that is equivalent to the total state budget revenue for 2024. 14 She said that the schools have requested an expansion budget from the commissioners. She said 15 that we are fortunate in Orange County to have the best quality education for the students, and 16 she hopes the county votes to approve the expansion budget. 17 Katie Harper said her children have attended Orange County Schools (OCS) and that her 18 family has been very happy there. She noted the high level of financial support given by the 19 county to the school systems. She asked the Board to fully fund the continuation budget and 20 some of the expansion budget. She thanked the Board for all the work that went towards the 21 2024 bond referendum. 22 Spring Dawson said she was born in Orange County and her dad is a farmer. She said 23 that her work focuses on early childhood education. She said that she is a parent of two children 24 with one in middle school and one in high school in Orange County. She said that North Carolina 25 is 48th in the nation for per pupil spending and 43rd for teacher pay. She said that the average 26 teacher salary in the state is below living wage. She said many of her children's teachers work 27 second and third jobs. She said even with this, Orange County is thriving. She said that the Center 28 for Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Education in NC has honored a teacher for the first 29 time in its history and that award went to Orange County 71h grade teacher, Serena Massey. She 30 asked that the commissioners read Mr. Jason Johnson's statement when he was honored as the 31 North Carolina Principal of the Year. 32 Chair Bedford noted that they will be doing a proclamation in honor of Mr. Jason Johnson. 33 Rachel Heller said her children attended CHCCS and OCS schools. She discussed 34 opportunity vouchers which provide subsidies for children to attend private schools. She said 35 opportunity scholarships were started to "reduce the socio-economic achievement gap." She said 36 they were targeted to families below a certain income level. She said that now, those income caps 37 have been removed and wealthy families already sending their children to private schools can 38 now receive the vouchers that are a tax-payer subsidy. She said over$3 million in voucher funds 39 have been given to students in Orange County. She said that private schools are not accountable 40 to the public and they are not required to track or report on academic achievement. She said they 41 are not required to hire licensed teachers or even teachers with a college degree. She said that 42 private schools have raised their average tuition 16% over the last year. 43 Kelly Suttles said that education for everyone is foundational to democracy. She said that 44 funding cuts at the state levels have put the funding burden on local governments. She said they 45 have been steadily losing investment in public education over the last two decades in NC. She 46 said the federal government is also cutting spending on education and there are two programs 47 that will directly affect students in Orange County. She discussed federal cuts to education that 48 affect Orange County. She said the two programs are: the Individuals with Disabilities Education 49 Act and Title I. She said these two federal programs account for 15%-20% of Orange County 50 school funding. She said that the county has some of the best educators. She said that this has 51 placed the county in a place of burden. She noted the award-winning programing and staff. She