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13 <br /> 1 Library system, but stated she could not support eliminating all county funds to the Chapel Hill Public <br /> 2 Library. <br /> 3 Chris Maue said he has been an educator in Orange County for 10 years. He said the Board of <br /> 4 Education requested additional funding to increase the local teacher supplement for many years. He <br /> 5 questioned how teachers are supposed to be able to continue with monthly bills increasing without any <br /> 6 pay increase. He noted that the state salary schedule groups years 15-25 of experience at the same pay <br /> 7 level, meaning veteran teachers see no pay increase for an entire decade. He reported zero increases in <br /> 8 the local supplement for each of the past three years. He described working multiple side jobs to <br /> 9 support his family and warned of a growing burnout rate. He pointed to OCS being one of only three <br /> 10 districts statewide where all schools met or exceeded growth, attributing it to hard-working staff, and <br /> 11 requested full funding of both the continuation budget and a competitive supplement increase. <br /> 12 Amanda Aguayo said she has been a teacher in OCS for 5 years. She asked the Board to match <br /> 13 and surpass the school districts' funding requests. She spoke about working three jobs to afford food <br /> 14 and housing, despite nearly two decades of professional experience. She warned that cutting education <br /> 15 funding results in overcrowded classrooms, exhausted teachers, and diminished student opportunities. <br /> 16 She said that passion cannot continue to compensate for chronic underinvestment. She called on the <br /> 17 Board to prioritize students and educators and fully fund the schools'funding requests. <br /> 18 Meghan Jones said she is a mom of two and a resident of Chapel Hill. She expressed her family's <br /> 19 deep connection to the Chapel Hill Public Library, citing weekly visits, summer and winter reading <br /> 20 programs, book recommendations from librarians, and the library's role as a community gathering <br /> 21 space. She noted that while her family also visits the Carrboro branch library, the Chapel Hill Public <br /> 22 Library plays a uniquely central role in their daily lives. She warned that cutting library funding during a <br /> 23 time of rising fascism and anti-intellectualism sends a dangerous message, and called on the Board to <br /> 24 fund a library befitting the home of the nation's oldest public university. <br /> 25 Beverly Walton said she is speaking on behalf of Justice United. She said the county is cutting <br /> 26 funding for affordable housing, while also increasing property taxes, calling the housing situation in <br /> 27 Orange County a crisis. She said if luxury properties are taxed higher and pay their fair share, there <br /> 28 would be enough money to fund all the needs requested tonight. <br /> 29 Louis Capitanio expressed frustration with government overspending. He argued that <br /> 30 investments in education and libraries are essential while suggesting that other areas, specifically <br /> 31 Orange County Solid Waste, contain waste and unnecessary spending. He raised concerns that elderly, <br /> 32 disabled, and veteran residents would be displaced by rising taxes. He noted that Emergency Services, <br /> 33 the Sheriff's Department, and Fire Departments cannot sustain budget cuts. <br /> 34 Juno Wouk a fourth-grade student at Glenwood Elementary in the dual-language Mandarin <br /> 35 program, spoke about the importance of her school's program and the library. She noted that Glenwood <br /> 36 was the only elementary school in the district where enrollment increased this year, attributing it to the <br /> 37 appeal of the dual-language program. She asked the Board to fund the school district so it could focus <br /> 38 on redistricting rather than closures. She also expressed concern about proposed library funding cuts, <br /> 39 stating that she had visited the Chapel Hill Public Library since before she could walk and credited it with <br /> 40 her love of reading. <br /> 41 Nina Morley Daye, retired science teacher with over 35 years of experience at Orange High <br /> 42 School, spoke in solidarity with current educators. She emphasized that OCS having 100% of schools <br /> 43 meeting or exceeding growth is not an easy thing to do. She made two requests: first, that the Board <br /> 44 pass, at a minimum, a continuation budget for both school systems; and second, that the Board use its <br /> 45 platform to publicly demand that the General Assembly adequately fund schools and pass a budget. <br /> 46 Christina Clark, president of the Orange County Association of Educators and a teacher at Cedar <br /> 47 Ridge High School, described the county as one of the best places to live, yet increasingly unaffordable <br /> 48 for school staff. She noted that teaching positions in Chatham, Durham, and Wake Counties offer higher <br />