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10 MONDAY, APRIL 18, 2005 School disparities discussed BY ADAM W. RHEW STAFF WRITER County leaders agree that a major funding gap exists between local school districts. But they are not so quick to agree about how or when officials should address that disparity. The Orange County Board of Commissioners discussed Thursday a study by Professor Madeleine Grumet of the UNC School of Education. The study shows a dif ference in the resources available to the county’s two school districts. Commissioners originally received Grumet’s Educational Excellence Study last month but were unable to discuss it until Thursday’s work session. The report showed that a spe cial tax levied by the Chapel Hill- Carrboro City Schools district gave it sl2 million more in available fund- Orange County looks to free up funds BY CHRIS CARMICHAEL STAFF WRITER Alarm about a perceived back log of building maintenance issues has the Orange County Board of Commissioners mulling sev eral options for diverting funding streams to county capital projects. “We have got buildings that are literally falling apart,” Commissioner Stephen Halkiotis said, offering the county courthouse as an example of facility decay. “And I think it’s totally indefensible to allow that building to fall apart.” In a preliminary report on coun ty capital priorities and funding Ol AVEDA INSTITUTE CHAPEL HILL Make an appointment for the Earth April is Earth Month: Throughout April, 50% of the proceeds from services on Wednesdays and Thursdays at The Aveda institute Chapel Hill will go toward our Earth Month partner, The Appalachian Trail Conference. ■WSKsM.-H --if ill JWJii ' ■ < ... HII * $v -• PETER FILENE will present his new book the^ EE| Tuesday, April 19th at 3:30 p.m. in the Bull's Head Bookshop call 962-5060 for more info University professor Madeline Grumet presented her findings to county leaders. ing than Orange County Schools. But commissioners were quick to point out that this fiscal year might not be the best time to try to close the gap. “This is going to be the most difficult budget year in the last 18 years I’ve been on this board,” said commissioner Stephen Halkiotis. Commissioner Valerie Foushee, who previously served on the city school board, added that county leaders first need to see how the state budget will affect the districts. “I don’t think we can start address- options Thursday, county Budget Director Donna Dean identified a host of maintenance needs. Dean estimated the total cost of repairs at $lB million over the next 10 years, including critical repairs to the central recreation facility, preser vation of historic sites and money set aside for emergency repairs. In order to demonstrate a com mitment to recurring capital expenses, county staffhave suggest ed dedicating 1 cent of the property tax to upkeep. Commissioners continued their discussion Thursday on a policy adopted in 2004 limiting funding ing equity until we are sure on what we are addressing,” she said. Despite these concerns, Chairman Moses Carey Jr. said, the commissioners still should begin to discuss the topic. “I think it is incumbent upon us ... to put it back on the table for discussion,” he said. Carey first proposed the idea of merging the districts in 2003 as a way to address the funding gap. Grumet’s study which included interviews with principals at each school in both districts stemmed from his request. Merger proponents say joining the districts will help eliminate funding and service disparities. But commissioner Alice Gordon told her colleagues that even with a merger, they would still have to hold discussions about funding. “The bottom line is the bottom for the two area school districts to 60 percent of capital spending in order to allocate a higher amount to county projects, which would receive the remaining 40 percent. For years, schools received what Dean described as the lion’s share of capital allocations, or 77 percent. That change would free as much as $24 million over the next decade for new county projects including anew land services building, a new library facility and debt ser vice associated with the acquisi tion of the Triangle Sportsplex in Hillsborough. According to the report, absent of any change to the ratio, base line revenues would not be able to cover these expenses. Commissioners are still discuss ing a number of options for imple menting the new funding ratio. But competing interests from apb*. M Leonard T. Jemigan, Jr., attorney and adjunct professor of law, is pleased to announce that his 4th edition of North Carolina Worker’s Compensation - Law and Practice is now available from Thomson West Publishing (1-800-328-4880). Leonard T. Jemigan, Jr.. Attorney at Law The Jemigan Law Firm Leonard T. Jemigan, Jr. Wachovia Capitol Center N. Victor Farah 150 Fayetteville Street Mall Gina E. Cammarano Suite 1910, P.O. Box 847 Lauren R. Trustman Raleigh, NC 27602 Practice Limited to: (919)833-1283 Workers’ Compensation (919) 833-1059 fax Serious Accidental Injury www.jemlaw.com TUTOR FOR CREDIT Applications are now available at Phillips Annex 103 for The Peer Tutoring Program. Receive 3 hours pass/fail credit for tutoring Tuesday or Wednesday evenings from 6-9 p.m. during the FALL 2005 semester (at Dey Hall). Three (3) tutors are needed each nivht for the following subjects: MATH 10, 17, 18, 30, 31, 32, 33 STATISTICS 11, 31 ECONOMICS (10, 100,101) Two (2) tutors are needed each night for the following subjects: BIOLOGY (11, 50, 52,53) CHEMISTRY (11, 21, 41, 61, 62) PHYSICS (20, 24, 25, 26, 27) SPANISH 1-4, FRENCH 1-4 One (1 ) tutor per nipht is needed for: GERMAN 1-4, PORTUGESE 1-4, ITALIAN 1-4, BUSINESS 71, MATH 22 One (1) tutor may be needed for one (1) of the two niphts for: ASTRONOMY 31, GEOLOGY (11,12), ANTHROPOLOGY 10, PHILOSOPHY (20, 21, 22), SOCIOLOGY 10, COMPUTER SCIENCE (14,15), LATIN 1-4, PSYCHOLOGY 10, ARABIC 101 Look for application forms at 103 Phillips Annex. The deadline for returning applications to Phillips Annex is Monday, April 25, at spm. Interviews are required, and you should sign up for an appointment when you return your application. If you have questions, please call the Learning Center at 962-3782. News line,” she said. Carey said the results of a report on how the two districts can better collaborate might help commission ers consider Grumet’s findings. County Manager John Link told commissioners that the results of the School Collaboration Work Group are not yet ready but that the board should expect a progress report at its Tuesday meeting. Commissioners agreed that time is running out on this fiscal year’s budget process. Carey said if commissioners are going to discuss equity issues, they need to begin soon. “We gotta get started, because we just can’t wait.” The fiscal year’s budget is sched uled to be finalized in May. Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu. Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, facing a grim budget shortfall themselves, have expressed con cern over the flexibility of such a policy, citing their backlog of maintenance issues and future capital needs related to growth. Halkiotis said this was the most difficult budget season he could recall but was firm in defending the county's need for additional funding. “It was never ordained that all we ever needed to worry about were the two school systems,” he said. A joint meeting with the city school board will be held April 26 to discuss the funding issue. Commissioners could decide on an option for implementing the policy May 3, Dean said. Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu. Bill lobbies for disadvantaged school districts BY JOE NGAN STAFF WRITER A bill introduced Thursday in the N.C. House marks the largest response yet to the state’s decade long battle over funding for low wealth school districts. A total of S2OO million would be given during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 fiscal years to the Department of Public Instruction for the Disadvantaged Student Supplemental Funding program, which supports educational ini tiatives recommended by school systems and approved by the N.C. State Board of Education. The program was initiated in response to the N.C. Supreme Court’s ruling in Leandro v. State of North Carolina Board of Education, which said the state has a responsi bility to provide every child with a sound basic education. The DSSF program is expected to improve educational opportu nities and academic performance for “at-risk” students in 16 rural, low-wealth counties, said Vanessa Jeter, acting director of the Division of Communications and Information for the public instruc tion department. “The 2005-06 session will be the General Assembly’s first opportunity to formally consider and respond to the plan that is being developed.” The Leandro suit dates back to 1994, when families and school officials in several poorer counties alleged that there is an unconsti tutional disparity in the standard of education among different dis tricts. The state Supreme Court has twice sided with the poorer districts and ordered the state to address the inequality. Students in wealthier counties such as Wake and Orange receive a higher-quality education than those in poorer counties such as Hoke and Vance because there is more revenue raised from taxes, said Marty Smith, * FREE BOXES delivered to your door JHESjNJDENT * FREE pick up and delivery STORAGE t Group discounts available ✓p-QMPANY. T> Guaranteed lowest prices! j; thestudentstorage.com 877*637*8673 - Centering the Sou.till -The Alfred D. Chandler Lecture in Southern Business History "WAlT A COTTON PICKIN' MINUTE!" 4 Hew View of Changing Slave Efficiency HEAR ALAN L. OLMSTEAD, Director of the UC-Davis Institute of Governmental Affairs TOMORROW APRIL 19, at 3:00 PM in 569 HAMILTON HALL Admission is free. Refreshments served. UNC’s Center for the Study of the American South Uljr Doily (Tor iirel executive director of strategic plan ning for Vance County Schools. “The Leandro ruling is saying that it is the state’s constitutional responsibility to ensure every child has access to the same standard of education, regardless of what his home county is,” she said. Within the DSSF program, each local education agency will receive state funds based on its disadvan taged population, calculated using a December 2004 formula from the public instruction department. Criteria considered when devel oping the formula include students’ proficiency, teacher turnover rates, teachers’ experience and the num ber of students from low-income families. Ricky Lopes, finance officer for Cumberland County Schools, said it is a workable method. “No one formula captures all situations,” he said. “But this is a good formula, and overall, every body agrees on the factors they are using.” Lopes said the schools do not have any specific plan on how to use extra funding to help disad vantaged students in the county because they are still unsure how much money they could get. The legislation requires local education agencies to submit a detailed plan before the State Board of Education will approve the extra funding. Lawmakers said the large appro priation reflects the importance of the issue. “The current gap is serious enough to generate the Leandro case,” said Rep. Bill Faison, D- Orange. “We need to provide as much support for education as pos sible because the children will have tremendous contribution when they return to the society.” Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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