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Commissioner Nelson said that the County Commissioners received a phone call from <br /> a member of the school board and he understands how the school board feels, having one <br /> government tells another government how to spend its money. He understands that this is a <br /> request, but it does not feel that way. He will vote against this unless someone can make a <br /> really strong case. <br /> Commissioner Carey said that he probably would have pulled this item too. He said <br /> that, in dealing with the school boards in the past, when the County Commissioners have <br /> asked school boards to do things, the school boards have assumed that the Board of County <br /> Commissioners would cover the cost of what was requested. If the County does not have the <br /> money to do it, then it should not ask the school board to do this. <br /> Gwen Harvey recognized Mike Mathers, Executive Director of Chapel Hill Training and <br /> Outreach Project, the parent organization of KidSCope. This is a non-profit organization. He <br /> said that this program has been stabilized after Chapel Hill Training and Outreach took it over <br /> and the desire is to expand the program. The expansion cannot be done without continued <br /> support. <br /> In answer to a question about the Superintendent, Mike Mathers said that he talked to <br /> Superintendent Rhodes, who was in favor of the school board rescinding its decision. <br /> A motion was made by Commissioner Foushee, seconded by Chair Jacobs to adopt <br /> the proposed resolution on behalf of KidsCope and forward to the Orange County School <br /> Board. <br /> RESOLUTION <br /> REQUESTING THE ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD RECONSIDER <br /> REQUIRING KIDSCOPE TO MAKE ANNUAL RENT PAYMENTS TO HILLSBOROUGH <br /> ELEMENTARY AND RECOMMIT TO RENT-FREE OCCUPANCY <br /> WHEREAS, KidSCope is an early intervention program created in 1988 by a coalition of <br /> professionals and child advocates to address a documented need for specialized services to <br /> young children experiencing social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties; and <br /> WHEREAS, KidSCope is comprised of a number of specialized components; i.e., parent-child <br /> therapies, technical and assistance and training for child care providers, and customized <br /> counseling and education for families, but community outreach remains its core service; and <br /> WHEREAS, in 2005 KidSCope was divested from the OPC Area Program as required under <br /> statewide mental health reform and became a program of the Chapel Hill Training and <br /> Outreach Program; and <br /> WHEREAS, statewide mental health reform as mandated has created untold financial <br /> stressors and strains on a severely weakened local provider network; and <br /> WHEREAS, KidSCope continues to receive funding from the NC Division of Mental Health, <br /> Orange County government, the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, the Children's Trust Fund, <br /> and to a larger part, as allowable, Medicaid; and <br /> WHEREAS, in 2007 after an 11-year agreement to allow KidSCope to occupy a building on the <br /> Hillsborough Elementary campus rent-free, Orange County Schools requested rent payments <br /> in the amount of $25,200 annually, thereby placing KidSCope in an increasingly fragile <br /> financial position; and <br />