HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 09-29-2016 1
APPROVED 11/15/2016
MINUTES
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO BOARD OF EDUCATION
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
JOINT MEETING
September 29, 2016
The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a joint session with the Chapel
Hill—Carrboro Board of Education and the Orange County Board of Education on Thursday,
September 29, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. at the Whitted Building in Hillsborough, NC.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Earl McKee and Commissioners Mia
Burroughs, Mark Dorosin, Barry Jacobs, Bernadette Pelissier, Renee Price
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Commissioner Rich
COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts
COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: Deputy Clerk Travis Myren and Clerk to the Board Donna S.
Baker (All other staff members will be identified appropriately below)
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Steve Halkiotis
and Board Members Brenda Stephens, Millicent Rainey, Tom Carr, Tony McKnight, Michael
Hood and Superintendent Todd Wirt and Deputy Superintendent Pam Jones were also
present.
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS ABSENT:
CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO CITY SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS PRESENT:
Chair James Barrett and Board Members Annetta Streater, Joal Broun, Rani Dasi, Pat
Heinrich, Andrew Davidson, Margaret Samuels and Assistant Superintendent Todd LoFrese
and Rydell Harrison, Interim Assistant Superintendent, Instructional Services were also
present.
CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO CITY SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS ABSENT:
Opening Comments
Chair McKee called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m.
Chair McKee said Commissioner Rich, Commissioner Price, and County Manager
Bonnie Hammersley would not be attending tonight.
1. Welcome and Opening Remarks
James Barrett said the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools' (CHCCS) Interim
Superintendent, Dr. Jim Causby, could not be here tonight, and that Dr. Rydell Harrison,
Interim Assistant Superintendent, Instructional Services, would be here instead.
Steve Halkiotis said he wanted to praise Bonnie Hammersley tonight, and he respected
the budget timeline and process. He said the Orange County Schools' (OCS) Board approved
a budget audit standing committee to coordinate efforts between OCS and the Board of
County Commissioners (BOCC). He suggested that their on-going collaboration committee
has not been very successful, and instead proposed the creation of a new committee, to
improve the budget process, made up of the three elected bodies: BOCC, Board of CHCCS
and Board of OCS. Steve Halkiotis said the Family Success Alliance (FSA) group has been
working at the New Hope Elementary, and there have been dramatic changes due to this
alliance. He wanted to thank Bonnie Hammersley for information on the funds collected from
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impact fees for the school systems. He said the former County Manager failed to do this, and
this information is helpful to all involved.
Steve Halkiotis referred to the BOCC adopted goals and priorities, specifically #6. He
invited the Commissioners to attend the next OCS student achievement committee meeting.
He said there are many successful programs that are helping to close the achievement gap.
Chair McKee said he would relay Steve Halkiotis' comments to Bonnie Hammersley.
Commissioner Price arrived at 7:09 p.m.
2. Family Success Alliance
Background Information:
Poverty &Adverse Childhood Experiences
Poverty in Orange County has been on the rise. Research shows that people living in poverty
disproportionately experience Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), which are potentially
traumatic events that can have negative, lasting effects on health and well-being. Intervening
early to address the social determinants of health, including ACEs and educational
achievement, are priorities for the health department and laid the foundation for the Family
Success Alliance (FSA).
Model Programs and Adaptation to Orange County
FSA is modeled on the Harlem Children's Zone, a "cradle to college or career" pipeline that
provides wrap-around services and intensive academic interventions. After 20 years of work,
HCZ has eliminated the racial achievement gap for its students. Adapting this model to Orange
County required identifying neighborhoods where families are struggling to make ends meet
and facilitating a community-engaged process for selecting two pilot zones, Zone 4 (Southern
Hillsborough) and Zone 6 (Chapel Hill-Carrboro).
Gap Analysis, Initial Programs, and Strategic Plan Development
FSA staff worked closely with community members living in the zones and other key
stakeholders to identify gaps in Orange County's "pipeline" and develop a Strategic Plan for
how to address those gaps. The two initial programs developed by FSA include 1) a summer
Kindergarten Readiness program, implemented in partnership with school districts, and 2) a
Navigator Program that helps FSA-enrolled families support their children's education and
connect with community resources by drawing on the expertise of zone residents who are
hired and trained by FSA. FSA also supports afterschool programing and summer enrichment
for enrolled children.
Program Update
Colleen Bridger, Director, Orange County Health Department, made the following
PowerPoint presentation:
Joint School Board and County Commissioner Meeting
September 29, 2016, Presentation Overview
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Three Problems:
1. Safety net interventions too diluted
2. No robust evaluations
3. Communities not at the center of interventions
Poverty in Orange County
• Multiple poverty-related indicators are increasing in Orange County
• Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) include 10 indicators related to neglect, abuse and
household dysfunction. People living in poverty disproportionately experience Adverse
Childhood Experiences. There is a dose-response relationship between ACEs and the risk
of chronic disease.
Our Models
• Harlem Children's Zone pipeline model
o Combined a focus on academics with family/community support
o HCZ closed the racial achievement gap in both math and ELA by third grade
• HCZ scaled up = President Obama's "Promise Zones" & has been replicated across NC,
e.g. EDCI
• Orange County is rich in high-quality resources. We need to build on, expand, & enhance
existing services and supports. NOT replace or duplicate.
• Collective Impact approach
o New way of working together that emphasizes strong backbone support for
collaborative work and prioritizes shared data and evaluation.
o Equity is an additional component that experts agree should be added to the model
and is important for FSA
o OCHD is strong in both areas and serves as the backbone support for the FSA
collaborative with guidance from a diverse Advisory Council.
o Our Partners (organizations funded by United Way and those on the Advisory
Council)
Adapting to OC: Mapping our poverty zones
• Building a Neighborhood Poverty Index to identify "zones" in Orange County; neighborhood
level data are not available through Census and other common sources
• Goals: 1) Adjust for population density, 2) Use multiple data layers for assurance, 3) Drill to
neighborhoods with distinct types if possible
• Created an aggregate indicator (index) showing the likelihood of a neighborhood being
low-income. Each 1/4 mile block with >30 residences was scored from 0 - 4 based on four
data layers: (1) residential structure type (Land Records/GIS); (2) active housing choice
vouchers (Housing); (3) children on Medicaid (DSS); and (4) clinic patients (health
department)
• Identified 6 zones throughout the county where families are most struggling to make ends
meet
• Held meetings in the zones; all 6 zones identified a champion and applied; 2 were
selected.
The Pipeline to Success —from Cradle to College/Career
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2015 Gap Analysis
• Community Input (interviews, focus groups, door-to-door and online surveys) in Zones 4
and 6
• Zone meetings to prioritize. Top three in common: childcare, K readiness, family support
Our Two-Generation Approach: Support Children & Families
• Initial programming: Kindergarten Readiness —just completed second year in both zones
o UNC FPG's evaluation (2016) showed improvement in: Attention, Print concepts,
Word Use, and teacher ratings of frustration tolerance, social skills, and
achievement
• Navigator Program: Link to resources; Peer coaches; Help families engage in and
advocate for educational success. Keep community voice at the center of our work.
o Formative and summative evaluations in process, partnered with UNC Peds & FPG
2016 —2018 Strategic Plan: Community engaged process, adopted in August, covers next
two years
Evaluation
• Context of the Initiative (continue to track poverty related indicators at neighborhood level)
• Collective Impact Initiative (evaluate how we work together using this collaborative model)
• System Changes (funding streams, cultural norms, etc)
• Impact of the Initiative -- Nationally-vetted indicators from Promise Neighborhoods
o Individual FSA Program Evaluation
o Longitudinal Cohort Study
What's Next?
• Continue to add & support cohorts in zones 4 and 6 & continue to build pipeline
• Ultimately, expand reach by working in additional zones, as resources allow
Key Publications: 2015 Gap Analysis, 2016-2018 Strategic Plan
http://www.orangecountync.gov/fsapublications.php
Photo Directory of Advisory Council members:
http://www.orangecountync.gov/fsaadvisory council.php
For more information, contact: Meredith McMonigle, Project Coordinator
mmcmonigle @orangecountync.gov, (919) 245-2071
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James Barrett said he noticed that some of the school boundaries went beyond the
zone boundaries. He asked if the population served must be residents of the zone, or if being
a student within the zone would be sufficient.
Colleen Bridger said it was not an exact science, and they tried to follow the school
zone boundaries. She said sometimes doing this excluded a high need area, so zones were
expanded.
Steve Halkiotis asked if, in her professional opinion, the mental health needs of
students in North Carolina has gone up or down from 10% in 1979.
Colleen Bridger said the number in need has increased significantly and is possibly
upward of 30%.
Steve Halkiotis said mental health issues have been rampant in the schools and have
gone unrecognized for years. He said the work of the FSA in addressing some of the mental
health issues is appreciated.
Annetta Streater asked if there are any plans to connect with the school districts
regarding possible strategies to reach children that do not fall in the targeted zones.
Colleen Bridger said these pilots are identifying best practices, and the plan is to
disseminate what is working well across the entire county.
Rani Dasi said the FSA is helping both school districts, and she thanked Colleen
Bridger and the FSA. She echoed the vital need for mental health services.
Todd Wirt said the least amount of resources, for those with mental health, is in the
elementary schools. He said OCS has had a wonderful experience with the FSA.
Commissioner Dorosin asked Colleen Bridger if she could talk about what is in the
queue for working with even younger children.
Colleen Bridger said she has had conversations about targeted pre-K, targeted toward
the kids in the zones. She said the FSA is working with all of their partners to strengthen their
relationship with their childcare providers.
Commissioner Dorosin asked if there is a reason to not use the verbiage universal pre-
k.
Colleen Bridger said universal pre-K implies that everybody, regardless of need,
receives pre-K. She said research shows that pre-K is more effective when it is targeted to
those children who need it most.
Brenda Stephens expressed her appreciation of Colleen Bridger, and said she had
personally witnessed the enthusiasm and excitement in zone 4 this summer.
Rydell Harrison expressed his appreciation to the FSA and the staff of the Health
Department.
Donna Coffey said this presentation gave her a better understanding of the FSA
program. She said this is a great place to start setting their collaborative budget process.
Margaret Samuels echoed previous comments, and said in her professional job she
sees Navigators everywhere.
3. Update on School Impact Fee Study/Report
Craig Benedict, Orange County Planning Director, reviewed the background
information:
On August 17, 2016, draft school impact fee studies for both school districts were sent via e-
mail to school district and municipal staffs. The studies were completed by a consultant with
whom Orange County contracted. The report for Orange County Schools was updated by the
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consultant on September 1 because it was discovered that a portion of Appendix A was
missing.
School impact fees are fees charged to help defray the public costs of new development. The
fee is charged once to all new residential development in both school districts. Fees charged
must be proportional to the actual impact caused which is the reason a technical study is
completed; the data-based study determines the proportional impact of housing types and the
"maximum supportable impact fee" (MSIF) that can be charged for each type of housing.
Proceeds from school impact fees can be used only to increase student membership capacity
(e.g., Capital Facilities — new or expanded school buildings) in the school district in which the
fee was collected. School impact fee proceeds cannot be used to fund operations.
School impact fees were last updated in 2008 and were adopted to increase each year over
four years, with the last increase effective January 1, 2012. The final increase raised the fee to
60% of the MSIF, as calculated in 2008.
The recently completed studies disaggregate dwelling types by the number of bedrooms a unit
contains and also break out smaller sized (less than 800 square feet) detached units.
Additionally, the studies include information on Age Restricted Units. Attachment 3a shows the
MSIF at various percentage levels. It should be noted that the adopted percentage of MSIF
must be the same for all housing types (e.g., fees cannot be adopted at 40% MSIF for one
housing type and 60% MSIF for a different housing type).
Since 1995, Orange County has offered an impact fee reimbursement program for school
impact fees paid on affordable housing units. From FY09-10 through FY15-16, $606,318 in
collected impact fees was reimbursed for the 77 affordable single-family housing units and one
apartment building containing 6 affordable multi-family units constructed in that time period.
Orange County Planning staff will hold a public information meeting on September 26 at 6:00
p.m. at the Whitted Meeting Facility in Hillsborough. A representative from the consulting firm
will attend the joint School Boards/BOCC meeting on September 29 to present the results of
the study and address technical questions/comments on the reports.
A BOCC public hearing on potential updates to school impact fee levels has been scheduled
for October 4.
Possible options for updated fee levels include:
1. As calculated, adopting at some percentage of the MSIF.
2. Collapsing the Single Family Detached category in the Orange County Schools district
(due to an unexpected result in this category), charging the "Average" for this housing
type in this district, charging fees as calculated for other housing types, and
adopting at some percentage of the MSIF.
3. Collapsing all housing type categories in both or either school districts, charging the
"Average" calculation by housing type, and adopting at some percentage of the MSIF. a.
Note for this option: Accessory dwelling units (e.g., granny flats) are included in the
multi-family category (0-2 bedrooms) so setting the fee for the "average" calculation may
result in an increase for accessory dwelling units, depending on the percentage of MSIF
chosen.
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4. Options 1-3 can also be implemented by increasing the percentage of MSIF over a
period of time (e.g., adopt at x% effective 2017, y% effective 2018, and z% effective
2019).
Perdita Holtz, Orange County Planning, made the following PowerPoint presentation:
2016 School Impact Fee Studies
Joint BOCC/School Boards Meeting
September 29, 2016
Overview
• School Impact Fees
o Enabling legislation in 1987
o Fees first adopted in 1993
o Help defray the public costs of new residential development
o Used to provide greater student capacity (e.g., new or expanded school
buildings)
Cannot be used to fund operations or repairs of existing facilities
• Updated technical studies done every few years to ensure the fees remain proportional
to the actual impacts caused
• Most recent studies (one for each school district) completed in summer 2016
• Over the years, types of housing has become more refined
o Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and digital data make this possible
Refined Housing Type Categories
• 1993 —fee charged per dwelling, regardless of type
• Each technical study has refined housing types a bit more
o Single-family & All Other
o Single-family, Manufactured Homes, All Other
o Single-family Detached, Single-family Attached, Multi-family, Manufactured
Homes
• Current study disaggregated data down to number of bedrooms per unit (SFD, SFA,
MF)
o Calculations for smaller-sized single-family detached (<800 square feet)
o Age-Restricted Units
2016 Study
Full studies available on website:
http://www.orangecountync.gov/departments/planning and inspections/current interest proje
cts.php
Julie Herlands from TichlerBise presented this portion of PowerPoint:
Orange County Draft Educational Facilities Fees
--Orange County Schools
--Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools
Presentation Overview
• Introduction
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• Overview
o Impact Fees
o Process for the Studies
• Impact Fee Results (by System)
o Methodologies
o Levels of Service and Costs
o Maximum Supportable Amounts
• Q & A
TischlerBise, Inc.:
• National Practice
• Impact Fees (850+)
• Fiscal Impact Evaluations (700+)
• Infrastructure Needs & Revenue Strategies
• Public and Private Sector Experience*
Impact Fees
The purpose is to:
". . . Help defray the costs to the County of constructing certain capital improvements, the
need for which is created in substantial part by the new development that takes place within
the County."
• Represent new growth's fair share of the cost for capital facility needs
• Used for capacity expansions
• Not a revenue raising mechanism but a way to provide growth-related infrastructure
• Three requirements must be met:
o Impact: Growth is generating need for infrastructure
o Benefit: Timing of improvements; accounting and expenditure controls
o Proportionality: Fair share of cost
Process for Study
• Interview key staff
• Analyze demographic data
• Consider methodologies and determine levels of service
• Determine capital costs
• Evaluate inclusion of credits
• Determine maximum supportable fee amounts for each school system
• Staff review
• Presentations to the public
• Decision by elected officials
Methodologies
• Cost Recovery (past)
o Oversized and unique facilities
• Incremental Expansion (present)
o Formula-based approach documents level-of-service with both quantitative and
qualitative measures; common for schools
• Plan-Based (future)
o Common for utilities but can also be used for other public facilities with non-
impact fee funding (e.g., roads)
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Impact Fee Formula Overview (graph)
Impact Fee Methodolgy (flow chart)
Joal Broun referred to the portable classroom cost per student, and asked if that is
assuming that the portable classroom is a permanent fixture or used for as long as needed.
She asked if there is an average that is used.
Julie Herlands said it is based on what is in the ground today, within each school
system, and within each level of school (elementary, middle and high), leading to the number
of portable classrooms per students. She said if portables go away in the future, a higher level
of service will be needed.
Pat Heinrich asked if the calculations used to determine capital cost are a lagging
number; based on what is being spent today to determine impact fees for the level of service
provided in the future.
Julie Herlands said the dollars are in current dollars; what it costs today. She said it is
recommended that the County apply an inflationary factor to the whole schedule to keep up
with the increase in construction costs.
Orange County Schools
OCS Student Generation Rates (graph)
OCS Levels of Service (graph)
OCS Cost Per Student Summary (graph)
OCS Maximum Supportable Impact Fees (graph)
Commissioner Price asked if there is a reason that portable classrooms are included in
this schedule.
Julie Herlands said there is some level of capacity that is being provided by a
temporary facility currently. She said this capacity cannot be replaced in the fee calculation
with a better or higher level of service.
Craig Benedict said the capacity of portable classrooms is not counted with the School
Adequate Public Facilities Fee (SAPFO) as a determinate to decide whether additional
buildings are needed.
James Barrett said a policy decision has been made that portables are acceptable,
because it is assumed that capacity can exceed 100%.
Commissioner Price said she thought the goal, moving forward, was to do away with
portable classrooms, as they are unsafe.
James Barrett said the assumption is that portables will remain because funding is not
provided for new buildings until capacity is at 105 to 110%.
Commissioner Dorosin clarified that there is no formal plan to get rid of portables, and
the answer was yes.
Todd LoFrese said it would be wonderful to do away with portable units.
Steve Halkiotis seconded this statement.
Rani Dasi asked if the impact fee rates are updated regularly.
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Julie Herlands said a full restudy is recommended every three to five years, and an
update on the costs, with an inflationary adjustment, annually.
Rani Dasi said if a project was approved in November, where a new building would
replace a number of portables significantly changing the square footage, the cost of said
project would be greatly understated if these numbers were not included.
Julie Herlands said typically there are not huge changes in levels of service figure, but
she said if a permanent space was created that significantly increased the level of service
standards (square feet per student), then the fee could potentially go up.
Steve Halkiotis asked if there is a reason that the reproductive rate in central and
northern Orange County seems to be less than the reproductive rate in southern Orange
County, given that the housing is similar. He said the whole topic may need to be revisited,
and the OCS is pulling in more impact fee money than CHCCS due to the tremendous growth
in the district.
Julie Herlands said this is all local data that is reflective of both school districts, as it
stands today. She said it is local census data. She said children that attend private schools
are not included. She said if an answer is desired to Mr. Halkiotis' question, she would
suggest doing a survey.
Matthew Roberts clarified that the number of children expected in a 3-bedroom house
in CHCCS, is higher than the number of children that would be expected in a 3-bedroom house
in OCS. He said this is all new to him.
Julie Herlands said there is local, geocoded data; public school students within each
district that reside in the different types of housing units.
Matthew Roberts asked if student housing in Chapel Hill is included.
Perdita Holtz said dorms are not included, but single family homes are included, even if
rented by university students.
Michael Hood asked if all apartment complexes are included in the CHCCS.
Julie Herlands said yes.
Michael Hood said many apartment complexes do not generate any students.
James Barrett said a lot of this has changed dramatically over the last eight years. He
said there are apartment complexes that were never expected to house children, which are
currently housing many families with children in the CHCCS.
Michael Hood said that may be reflective of the debt bubble. He said per capita income
for an area tends to produce fewer children per household. He said this is not reflective in the
numbers, and per capita income in OCS is lower than in CHCCS.
Julie Herlands said there is a type of unit difference as well, and there are underlining
drivers.
Michael Hood said he is bothered by the width of disparity.
Pat Heinrich said when he looked at the report he saw the Turner Building was used as
an inflationary scale for how costs would change over time. He said this is a national index,
and asked if there is a reason why Department of Public Instruction (DPI) numbers were not
used to get more regional numbers.
Julie Herlands said that was on the cost side. She said the starting point is the local
data, and to get to current dollars they use a construction cost index to find this out. She said
she would get him a more complete answer regarding the Turner Index.
Pat Heinrich said the numbers used were from the national index.
Julie Herlands said the numbers will not change drastically if a different index is used.
She said there is a weighted average by the type of school building. She said a sample of
local construction is gathered.
Pat Heinrich said there was a 31% regional increase in school construction from 2010-
2015, according to the DPI. He said from 2013-2015 there was a 24% increase in regional
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schools, as opposed to a 13% increase in the Turner Index. He said his concern is that the
Turner Index is not relative to what is actually happening locally.
Julie Herlands said an adjustment can be made.
Pat Heinrich asked if this data is not relevant.
Craig Benedict said if the intent was to charge 100% of the maximum supportable
impact fee and to capture all of the localized increases, then a specific regional index should
be used. He said historically the County has been at the 60% level of the maximum
supportable impact fee. He sad that could be raised to 65 or 70%.
James Barrett said the upcoming bond and subsequent renovations will bring a lot of
changes. He asked if these costs will be a factor in this data.
Julie Herlands said they are trying to determine a replacement cost per square foot
based on today's dollars. She said the challenge is to use projects that have been done here
in Orange County and inflate them to get to current dollars. She said when the fees are
collected they can go towards capacity improvement.
James Barrett said asked if the next time a high school is needed in the CHCCS, the
dollars are refigured based on the upcoming renovation costs, or are the inflated numbers from
10 years ago still used.
Julie Herlands said the numbers from the upcoming Chapel Hill High School
renovations would be used and inflated.
Commissioner Dorosin said he is concerned that OCS feels it is not being treated fairly
in this process. He clarified that the housing of every student in both school districts is
determined and put into categories: 0-3 bedroom, apartment, etc. He said these numbers are
then reverse engineered to determine how this is all calculated, which yields some of the
anomalies that have been alluded to, such as a 4-bedroom house in OCS having less children
than a 4-bedroom house in CHCCS.
Julie Herlands said a previous study was done on student generational rates for
recently developed (within the last 10 years) housing units in the County and both school
districts. She said this study was the foundation for these rates. She said all students were
geocoded and matched to the assessors' database, which has good data in terms of the
bedroom counts for recent developments. She said for the current study, data prior to 2004
was folded in using census data where possible. She said an impact fee is paid once for the
life of the unit. She said there may be other factors at play, such as private schools or other
demographic realities.
Commissioner Dorosin asked if someone built an apartment complex in Chapel Hill
tomorrow, they would pay the current rate even if the complex never houses a single public
school child.
Julie Herlands said the first five years a property may serve one population, and the
next five years another type of population, etc. She said the age of a unit can impact the
number of students that reside there.
Commissioner Dorosin said the differences are the different demographics in each
school system.
Michael Hood said the data has been looking at new and recent development. He said
he has a problem with a 1970s era, 3-bedroom ranch home that now has an extended family
living in it. He said the children may not be included in census data.
Julie Herlands said these are kids that are generated by type of unit within the school
systems. She said there is very good data on the single family side, by size of the house, by
bedroom count, by numbers of kids, etc.
Rani Dasi said it is important to be transparent with the public, and the numbers should
be accurately reported.
Julie Herlands said choosing an index is a methodological choice.
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Rani Dasi said she is asking to apply data that is appropriate to the community, so that
the process is transparent when percentages are charged, and investors know what they are
getting.
Julie Herlands said the construction costs are crosschecked and truth tested, and if this
is a point of contention, the percentage multiplier can be changed to 120 instead of 113,
resulting in a slight increase in the fee amount.
Commissioner Burroughs said it is ultimately at the discretion of the BOCC to make any
decisions, and all concerns should be directed to the BOCC, not the consultant.
Commissioner Jacobs said he hears that some people are not comfortable with the way
the Board of County Commissioners is calculating the impact fee, and so the Board may want
to review how the calculations are being done.
Steve Halkiotis said the input on this information is flawed, and the demographics in the
OCS system have changed dramatically. He said he is not happy with this analysis, which
shows partial children coming from OCS and whole children from CHCCS, despite being in the
same size home.
Julie Herlands resumed the PowerPoint presentation:
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (graph)
CHCCS Student Generation Rates (graph)
CHCCS Levels of Service (graph)
CHCCS Cost Per Student Summary (graph)
CHCCS Maximum Supportable Impact Fees (graph)
Perdita Holtz resumed the PowerPoint presentation:
Consultant Reports on Findings (graph)
Maximum Supportable Impact Fees (graph)
• Technical studies determined the "maximum supportable impact fee" (MSIF)
• In the past, Orange County has not adopted at the MSIF level
o Last 2 cycles were at:
• (2001) 60%
• (2008) 4-year increase at 32%, 40%, 50%, topping off at 60%
Current Fee Levels
Chapel Hill-Carrboro District (graph)
Orange County District (graph)
MSIF — Chapel Hill — Carrboro District (graph)
MSIF — Orange County District (graph)
Possible Options
• As calculated, adopting at some percentage of the MSIF.
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• Collapsing the Single Family Detached category in the Orange County Schools district
(due to an unexpected result in this category), charging the "Average" for this housing
type in this district, charging fees as calculated for other housing types, and adopting at
some percentage of the MSIF.
• Collapsing all housing type categories in both or either school districts, charging the
"Average" calculation by housing type, and adopting at some percentage of the MSIF.
• Options 1-3 can also be implemented by increasing the percentage of MSIF over a
period of time (e.g., adopt at x% effective 2017, y% effective 2018, and z% effective
2019).
Upcoming Meetings
• Joint Board of County Commissioners/ School Boards Meeting — Sep. 29
• Board of County Commissioners Public Hearing on October 4 beginning at 7:00 p.m. at
the Whitted Meeting Facility
• Possible adoption of updated fees at October 18 Board of County Commissioners
Meeting
Joal Broun referred to the new legislation that requires smaller K-3 class sizes, and
asked if there is a plan to factor in the additional space that will be needed to accommodate
this legislation.
Craig Benedict said that would have to be analyzed. He said if the same square
footage, at the same cost, provides less capacity, then there will be a higher cost per seat. He
said school construction standards will also be reviewed, as well as how the legislation would
affect school construction costs.
Joal Broun asked if this would be discussed before the Board of County
Commissioners decides on the impact fee.
Craig Benedict said the Planning Department could work with the Finance Department
and both school districts to see what the affects would be.
Commissioner Dorosin thanked the consultant, and said this was not supposed to be a
cross-examination. He said there are new board members on both Boards, and there are high
emotions and history with this issue, but her work is appreciated.
Commissioner Jacobs referred to Joal Broun's comment, and said if the County has to
anticipate another unfunded mandate from the State, then the County should anticipate it. He
said such litigation may pre-dispose the Board of County Commissioners to picking a higher
number with which to start. He said he would recommend phasing in the impact fees.
Commissioner Price asked if an extensive addition is built onto a mill home, which are
historic preservation homes, would it be considered for impact fees.
Craig Benedict said existing homes are grandfathered in, but if children are living in
these houses they will be captured in future analysis.
4. Discussion of School Related Topics
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools
Todd LoFrese referred to page 20 in the BOCC packet, and reviewed the following
information about CHCCS:
• Demographic Challenges
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Demographic Changes
2000 2005 2010 2015
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Lunch 17% 18% 25% 31%
Asian 9% 12% 15% 15%
Black 16% 14% 13% 11%
Hispanic 5% 9% 11% 16%
Multi 3% 5% 6% 6%
White 67% 60% 54% 52%
Enrollment 9,598 10,944 11,675 11,982 *12,230
*2016 estimate
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Immigrant Students and English Language Learners
Year Identified English Number of Percentage of EL Newcomers Program
Language Immigrant population Participation:
Learners Students: identified as
Immigrant:
2014-15 1280 629 49% 28 high school student
23 middle schools
students
2015-16 1222 808 66% 22 elementary students
55 middle school students
26 high school students
• Teacher Hiring Summary
Total hired for the 132
2016-2017 school year:
Elementary 60 elementary hires of the 132 total new
hires or 45.4%
Elementary classroom
• 43 elementary classroom teachers of the
60 total elementary positions or 71.6%
• Of the 43 total elementary classroom
teachers, 8 were EC Teachers or 18.6%
Other elementary 17 others of the 60 total elementary
positions or 28.3%
• 2 Social Workers
• 1 Occupational Therapist
• 2 Instructional Tech Facilitators
• 2 Instructional Coaches
• 2 Interventionist
• 2 Media Coordinators
• 1 PE Teacher
• 1 Music Teacher
• 1 World Language (French) Teacher
• 2 ESL Teachers
• 1 Behavior Specialist
Secondary 72 secondary hires of the 132 total new
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hires or 54.5%
Math
• 10 secondary math teachers of the 72
total secondary positions or 13.8%
• 5 middle school math teachers
• 5 high school math teachers
Science
• 8 secondary science teachers of the 72
total secondary positions or 11.1%
• 4 middle school science teachers
• 4 high school science teachers
EC • 11 EC teachers of the 72 total secondary
positions or 15.3%
• 4 middle school EC teachers
• 7 high school EC teachers
Other secondary 43 others of the 72 total secondary
positions or 59.7%
• 4 CTE Teachers
• 5 World Language Teachers
• 3 Cultural Arts Teachers
• 1 Dual Language Teacher
• 8 English Language Arts Teachers
• 1 ESL Teacher
• 1 Gifted Specialist
• 2 Instructional Tech Facilitators
• 1 ISS Coordinator
• 3 Media Coordinators
• 1 School Counselor
• 1 School Nurse
• 1 School Social Worker
• 1 Interventionist
• 9 Social Studies Teachers
• 1 Speech Language Pathologist
• Legislative Update
The state budget includes a provision that significantly lowers required class size
averages and maximums in Grades K-3. The legislation requires implementation to occur in
2017-18. If implemented, this will have a profound effect on elementary school capacity
throughout the county (and state). It will also have a significant budget impact. The K-3 funded
ratio is currently about 4 students below the average class size maximum of 21 and has been
below the average maximum for several years. The district has staffed K-3 classrooms based
on an average of 21 students. The difference between the funded ratio and the average ratio
has been used to fund non-classroom teachers, such as art, music, and PE. Implementing
2017-18 requirements would necessitate additional local expenditures, as the funds would be
limited to classroom teachers to meet the reduced averages. Additional budget would be
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needed to fund aforementioned non-classroom teachers and teacher supplements for the
additional teaching positions.
Todd LoFrese presented an overview of the changes as provided in the Board's
agenda packet, Attachment 4-f, followed by the local capacity impact.
Commissioner Dorosin asked if there could be clarification about funded versus max
size versus max individual size.
Todd LoFrese said a current CHCCS kindergarten class has an average of 21
students. He said the State gives additional teacher positions in K-3 classrooms than what the
max average class size can be. He said those additional teacher positions are used for art,
music, or PE. He said the actual class sizes are allocated at the max average. He said there
are not class size maximums in grades 4-12.
Commissioner Jacobs asked if this is going to be a huge unfunded mandate from the
State.
Todd LoFrese said he is very concerned about this, and the districts would need to
discuss if implementing such a mandate would even be possible.
Commissioner Jacobs said he assumes the State will give counties time to implement.
Todd LoFrese said this change is supposed to take place in 2017-18.
Commissioner Jacobs said there is about a year to try and come up with a plan, and
perhaps mobile classrooms will return.
Todd LoFrese said there is not room for 46 mobile classrooms or funds.
Commissioner Burroughs said the current legislature passed this legislation, and this is
an area to collaborate on giving their voice to their legislative delegation.
Orange County Schools
Todd Wirt referred to page 19 of the BOCC packet, which contains the OCS
information. He reviewed the following information:
• Legislative Update
Todd Wirt said their local impact is on page 19 of the agenda packet, and the lobbying
has begun. He said the impact of this legislation for OCS is an additional nine teachers. He
said there are several teaching positions in OCS that are funded by sources other than the
State.
• Demographics
Todd Wirt reviewed the Demographics on Page 17 of the agenda packet.
Chair McKee asked if the hiring success is attributed to the supplement increase.
Todd Wirt said this is difficult to analyze, but he has heard it has been a driving factor.
He said overall recruiting efforts have been improved.
James Barrett said this is true for CHCCS as well.
Commissioner Dorosin asked what are the overall demographics for OCS.
Dr. Wirt said OCS is 20% Hispanic; 15% African-American; 58% White; and 7% other
races.
Commissioner Dorosin asked if there are concerns about the range of Free-Reduced
Lunches (FRL) in the elementary schools, especially when considering equity.
Todd Wirt said Hillsborough Elementary is an application only, year round school, and
he said an analysis is being done as to why minority families are not accessing this school. He
said efforts are being made to make the school, and the application process, better publicized
and more easily accessible.
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Brenda Stephens said the application process for Hillsborough Elementary has been
worked on to make it more accessible.
Commissioner Dorosin said there is potential legislation that may target eliminating year
round schools, and asked if OCS may expand the year round schedule or if CHCCS has
considered year round schools.
Steve Halkiotis said the legislature is going to target these types of schools because of
lobbying by the travel and tourism industries. He said he would like to see a year round
schedule in all schools, and believes there would be dramatically positive results.
Commissioner Jacobs said he would like for CHCCS to answer the question about year
round schools.
James Barrett said this topic has not been discussed recently. His understanding is
that the legislation would grandfather in existing schools, but would make it harder to create
new year round schools.
Todd LoFrese said CHCCS is looking at current summer programming and summer
school for elementary schools, and are considering adding more enrichment programs.
Commissioner Jacobs said a legislative update should be included each time these
joint meetings occur.
Commissioner Jacobs asked if there is a penalty for not complying with the 18-student
average classroom maximum mandate.
Todd LoFrese said the superintendent's salary will be withheld.
Commissioner Jacobs said there should be a strategy to deal with what is coming down
the legislative pipeline. He said the Board and the Districts must be in a position to act with the
least harm to the Districts and the students.
Commissioner Jacobs referred to year round schools, and said he would not want the
legislature to prevent the school systems from considering what they believe is in the best
interest of their students. He said the BOCC would try to find a way to defend the schools.
Rani Dasi said the CHCCS Board should talk about the issue of year round schools.
Steve Halkiotis thanked the Board of County Commissioners for its funding, and said
because of this funding OCS was able to implement a universal breakfast.
James Barrett said when the collaboration group met two weeks ago, it was suggested
to create a budget process ad hoc committee. He said such a committee was created and it
meets tomorrow.
Michael Hood said he is a parent of children who attended Hillsborough Elementary,
and he would support the legislature removing itself entirely from all matters of school
scheduling.
Commissioner Dorosin said he sent an article about New Jersey having prohibitions on
suspensions, and maybe this could be a discussion topic next at their next meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 9:31 p.m.
Earl McKee, Chair
Donna Baker
Clerk to the Board
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