Minutes 05-12-2026-Budget Public Hearing

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