Orange County NC Website
®range ~Lourttp ~oarb of ~butatio~t <br />RANDY BRIDGES, SUPERINTENDENT <br />~irrgboroug~j, .~~ 27278 <br />BOARD MEMBERS <br />SUSAN HALKIOTIS, CHAIR <br />KEITH COOK, VICE CHAIR <br />ROBERT H. GATEMAN <br />RICHARD KENNEDY <br />DAVID KOLBINSKY <br />DELORES SIMPSON <br />BRENDA STEPHENS <br />MEMORANDUM <br />TO: John Link, Coun~~ t55y Manager <br />FROM: Susan A. Halkio~is~Chair <br />Orange County Boazd of Education <br />RE: School Funding Sessions <br />DATE: April 13, 2000 <br />5 <br />200 EAST KING STREET <br />HILLSBOROUGH, NC 27278 <br />TELEPHONE: 919-732-8126 <br />FAX: 819-732-9120 <br />During the April 10, 2000 meeting of the Orange County Boazd of Education, we discussed the proposed <br />funding of schools information that was provided to our Board during the joint meeting with the <br />Commissioners. The Boazd would like for the Commissioners to consider the following concerns as they <br />move towazd reaching a final decision on these matters: <br />First, the figures that we've used to illustrate the funding percentage that Orange County designates to <br />education continues to lump together local operating costs, capital funding and debt retirement. Certainly <br />the Orange County Boazd of Commissioners have generously provided consistent funding increases over <br />the last ten years, but it is impdrtant to recognize that capital needs and funding for new schools represented <br />a lazge portion of those increases. Further, given the rate of growth that Orange County anticipates, it is <br />likely that capital and building needs will continue to demand at least a financial allocation for the long <br />term. This means that any tazget or cap. on the percentage of the general fund allocated to education would <br />necessarily put operating costs funding in competition with capital or building funding as facilities are <br />upgraded or built to meet the demands of growth. Our school system has no district tax that could be <br />accessed for the shortage in operating funds that are likely to occur in this event -and it is unlikely that our <br />district would approve adding a district'tax if put to a referendum. <br />Although there has been much discussion about the consistency and definition of mandates by the two <br />school systems, there aze high cost items like state salary increases, utility cost increases and a growing <br />ESL population that we clearly do not control and that continue to represent a substantial portion of our <br />annual funding requests to you. For example, the above items alone will require a 7% increase in our <br />budget for the 2000-2001 school year. <br />Finally, while we know that Orange County school funding ranks neaz the top as compazed with other <br />districts across the state, we also know that North Carolina doesn't compare so favorably with the average <br />per pupil allocation for the US as a whole. Our students will be competing for colleges and jobs with <br />students from all over the country, not just students from North Carolina, and we need to be aware of how <br />we compaze on a national basis as well. <br />Our Board unanimously agreed that until the above concerns can be addressed or resolved that we keep the <br />current budget process in place. We are committed to keeping all of you informed about new initiatives <br />and programs and to making certain that we provide sound reasoning for any requests for additional funds. <br />/ha <br />c: Orange County Board of Education <br />Randy Bridges, Superintendent <br />