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51 <br /> 1 and then construction documents.The goal is to begin construction in spring 2027,with an opening in fall <br /> 2 2028 or 2029. He said the project team has been meeting with the Town of Carrboro and NCDOT and <br /> 3 remains on target. <br /> 4 Vice-Chair Fowler congratulated both school districts on their numerous successes. She noted <br /> 5 that as a pediatrician, she frequently hears from students that AVID is their favorite class, and said it is <br /> 6 transformational for them. She expressed appreciation for all the fiscal tightening, acknowledging it took <br /> 7 a lot of work and was not fun. She described the current financial climate as a panic-inducing situation in <br /> 8 terms of financial realities at both the state and federal levels, but said the county would do everything <br /> 9 possible to try to help schools continue to thrive. She added that continued advocacy at the state and <br /> 10 federal levels is necessary. She was excited to see updates on the planned new schools. <br /> 11 Commissioner McKee congratulated the districts on their focus on CTE. He congratulated Rodney <br /> 12 Trice on acknowledging the possibility of school closures based on the declining student numbers. <br /> 13 Commissioner Carter echoed gratitude for all the hard work taken on by both school districts to <br /> 14 take on structural changes that have been and will continue to be painful. She said she appreciates them <br /> 15 thinking strategically and looking forward. She agreed it was exciting to see the new school designs. <br /> 16 Commissioner Bedford congratulated Principal Jason Johnson on being named National Principal <br /> 17 of the Year, noting a proclamation would be forthcoming. Commissioner Bedford also commended the <br /> 18 superintendents on their honesty with the community and their staff regarding student enrollment and <br /> 19 upcoming changes. She recounted attending the recent community meeting about the Carrboro <br /> 20 Elementary footprint and praised the detailed engagement with neighbors on issues including flooding, <br /> 21 multimodal paths, and bicycle safety. She asked about the continuation budget figures and whether they <br /> 22 reflected a cumulative 7%increase over two years,given that the prior year's approximately 3%raise had <br /> 23 not been distributed and was being held in reserves. <br /> 24 Jonathan Scott responded that while no raises beyond step increases had been applied,the funds <br /> 25 had been partially consumed by increases in benefit costs, including state retirement and health insurance <br /> 26 costs. He said he could not recall the exact prior year continuation figure, but noted it was somewhere <br /> 27 around $3.2 million. He stated that if the district had to implement the full 3% salary increase today, it <br /> 28 would cost $2 million for the year. He clarified that in planning the current budget, both he and Rhonda <br /> 29 Rath had to do their due diligence and assume worst case scenario and plan the 4% on top of the 3% <br /> 30 increase. <br /> 31 Commissioner Bedford asked what NC House of Representatives' proposed budget includes. <br /> 32 Chair Hamilton invited, Brian Link, President of the CHCCS Association of Educators to the podium <br /> 33 to answer Commissioner Bedford's question. <br /> 34 Brian Link stated that there are three proposals currently outstanding: the House proposal <br /> 35 averages 8.7%, the Governor's latest proposal (his third) is at 11% across the board, and the Senate <br /> 36 proposal is closer to the House but still higher than the 3-4% being assumed by the financial officers. He <br /> 37 said if there's action, it's going to be larger than the conservative estimates that the district financial <br /> 38 officers have proposed. <br /> 39 Commissioner Portie-Ascott offered additional kudos to CHCCS for its AVID program and CTE <br /> 40 programming, referencing a tour she and Commissioner Carter had taken. She also shared that during a <br /> 41 Black History Month read-in at Carrboro Elementary, one student made sure she knew he did not want <br /> 42 his school closed. <br /> 43 Sarah Smylie, OCS School Board member, clarified that the money received by the districts in the <br /> 44 prior budget year— which fell short of the full 3% request — was being held in anticipation of a possible <br /> 45 retroactive state action, but noted that OCS already spent$700,000 of it on the mandated step increases, <br /> 46 and that inflationary increases and rising insurance costs had consumed additional portions. <br /> 47 <br /> 48 <br />