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6 aARRr.Iacoes CHarR ~ ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 57EPHENH. /-rAt.raons. VICEGKaIR POST OFFICE BOX 8181 MARGARET W. BROWN MOSESCAREY.JR. 200 SOUTH CAMERON STREET AUCE M. GORDON HILLSBOROUGH, NORTH CAROLINA 27278 November 20, 2002 Ms. Valerie Foushee, Chair Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education Lincoln Center, Merritt Mill Road Chapel Hill, NC 27516 Dear Ms-flee: -- ~P\r~~ I write on behalf of the Orange County Board of Commissioners in response to correspondence we received in late October from the Board of Education on the subject of new school facilities. As you well recognize through repeated public acknowledgements by your Board members, the County Commissioners remain firmly committed to meeting the operational and capital needs of both school systems and their students. That commitment iswell-documented through Orange County's long- standing ranking at the top of the list of county per pupil appropriations, and through capital improvements funding of several hundred million dollars since we undertook the 1988 bond referendum. A recent audit of County finances indicates that 50 percent of our budget is devoted to education. We appreciate the collaborative spirit with which we and the two school boards have worked in recent years. As I said at a recent meeting, although we do not always communicate perfectly, the commitment to communicate remains strong. In that regard, we believe it is important for the BOCC to lay out in this letter certain. considerations and constraints that will affect what can and what cannot realistically be achieved in pursuing the direction established in your Board's resolution of October 17, 2002. Our observations are founded in our unanimous and collective judgment that the best way to sustain the community's support for education is to continue to demonstrate proactive planning in a fiscally prudent manner. It is our intention to maintain our commitment to excellent schools while balancing those needs with the numerous other County obligations to provide high quality human services, public safety, and other vital County services. The County has achieved an enviably strong financial position and top-level bond ratings through sound fiscal management and creation of and adherence to a rational debt management policy. This has occurred while demonstrating a willingness to raise revenue necessary to carry out swell-conceived long-range capital investment plan for essential school and County facilities. wuvw, co. orange. nc. us Protecting and preserving -People, Resources, Quality of Life Orange County, North Carolina -You County (919) 24x2130 • FAX (919) 644-0246