Agenda - 04-24-2000-4 - Laserfiche WebLink

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®range ~ountp ~oarb of ~bucatiott RANDY BRIDGES, SUPERINTENDENT ~iYr~borough, ,~~ 27278 BOARD MEMBERS SUSAN HALKIOTIS, CHAIR KEFTH COOK, VICE CHAIR ROBERT H. GATEMAN RICHARD KENNEDY DAVID KOLBINSKY DELORES SIMPSON BRENDA STEPHENS MEMORANDUM TO: John Link, Coun~~tSSy Manager FROM: Susan A. HalkioTisC hair Orange County Board of Education RE: School Funding Sessions DATE: April 13, 2000 5 200 EAST KING STREET HILLSBOROUGH, NC 27278 TELEPHONE: 919-732-9126 FAX: 919.732-8120 During the April 10, 2000 meeting of the Orange County Boazd of Education, we discussed the proposed funding of schools information that was provided to our Board during the joint meeting with the Commissioners. The Board would like for the Commissioners to consider the following concerns as they move toward reaching, a final decision on these matters: First, the figures that we've used to illustrate the funding percentage that Orange County designates to education continues to lump together local operating costs, capital funding and debt retirement. Certainly the Orange County Board of Commissioners have generously provided consistent funding increases over the last ten yeazs, but it is impdrtant to recognize that capital needs and funding for new schools represented a lazge portion of those increases. Further, given the rate of growth that Orange County anticipates, it is likely that capital and building needs will continue to demand at least a financial allocation for the long term. This means that any target or cap on the percentage of the general fund allocated to education would necessarily put operating costs funding in competition with capital or building funding as facilities are upgraded or built to meet the demands of growth. Our school system has no district tax that could be accessed for the shortage in operating funds that are likely to occur in this event -and it is unlikely that our district would approve adding a district tax if put to a referendum. Although there has been much discussion about the consistency and definition of mandates by the two school systems, there are high cost items like state salary increases, utility cost increases and a growing ESL population that we clearly do not control and that continue to represent a substantial portion of our annual funding requests to you. For example, the above items alone will require a 7% increase in our budget for the 2000-2001 school year. Finally, while we know that Orange County school funding ranks neaz the top as compared with other districts across the state, we also know that North Carolina doesn't compaze so favorably with the average per pupil allocation for the US as a whole. Our students will be competing for colleges and jobs with students from all over the country, not just students from North Carolina, and we need to be aware of how we compaze on a national basis as well. Our Board unanimously agreed that until the above concerns can be addressed or resolved that we keep the current budget process in place. We are committed to keeping all of you informed about new initiatives and programs and to making certain that we provide sound reasoning for any requests for additional funds. /ha c: Orange County Boazd of Education Randy Bridges, Superintendent