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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBond Education Committee Minutes 8-28-2024 Bond Education Committee Minutes August 28, 2024; 6:00 PM Virtual Meeting COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: Al Ciarochi, Benjamin Alschuler, Dr. Danielle Jones, Sarah Smylie, Jean Hamilton, Phyllis Portie-Ascott, Jason Johnson, Samantha Earnhardt, Rani Dasi, Anissa McLendon, COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT: Vina Modaress, Frederick Davis, Andrea Tanner COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: Travis Myren, Kirk Vaughn, Kristin Prelipp OCS STAFF PRESENT: Kevin Smith CHCCS STAFF PRESENT. Andy Jenks GUESTS: Terri Buckner, Jan Johnson, Ty Howard, Stephanie Perri, and Jada Jarillo 1. Call to Order at 6 p.m. Co-Chairs Commissioners Jean Hamilton and Phyllis Portie-Ascott 2. Introductions of Committee Members 3. Results of the Survey Conducted by Avenir Bold Jan Johnson, Avenir Bold a. Introduction of the AB team by Jan Johnson, to include Ty Howard, and Stephanie Perri. Jan Johnson presented the results of the survey that the Bond Education Committee members filled out. b. Sarah Smylie says a potential barrier is that voters may not understand how facility funding is going to be spent apart from the bond money, such as for leaky roofs. c. Kevin Smith says there are still bond funds that are still unspent from the 2015 bond and that perhaps people will bring that up. Kirk Vaughn says that the answer is different in the two districts. The CHCCS district has spent its full prior bond. d. Rani Dasi says Chapel Hill will also have a bond on the ballot to support affordable housing and that may confuse voters. e. Comm. Hamilton clarified that concerns about the fact that previous bond funds that were not spent may be answered by others. 4. Input Session Co-Chairs and Avenir Bold Includes a discussion about the timeline and content of outreach materials, and what the selected consultant for messaging and a media plan needs from us. a. Ty Howard presented foundational messaging and themes. The goal is to have unified and powerful messaging. b. Samantha Earnhardt reminds us that we cannot guarantee that any particular school will get funds. She wants to understand how we can address how this bond will benefit these communities and how. c. Jean Hamilton reinforces that we cannot speak about specific projects, however, we can talk about how the BOCC has already determined how the funds will be allocated. d. Rani Dasi said the bond will support capital. It can only be used for building renovation and maintenance of school buildings. Not teacher/staff salaries, not materials, contractors, etc. e. Andy Jenks points out that CHCCS has already gone through a very public and arduous discussion about how the funds will be spent. So it may not make sense to be unable to say publicly how the funds will be spent. That may come off as disingenuous. f. Travis Myren verified the boundaries: promises vs. examples of improvements that could proceed. Samantha Earnhardt concurs that was her understanding as well - but perhaps slightly less specific wording like "informed by priorities as identified by XYZ Committee." g. Ben Alschuler is concerned that imagery focusing heavily on teachers and classroom materials will send the wrong message that the bond is funding salaries, textbooks, etc. h. Stephanie Perri presents about communications channels and how we can optimize the reach and impact of the campaign. i. Sarah Smylie wants us to be aware of the line between subject matter experts and advocates as we consider the community stakeholders that will inform voters on the school bond issue. j. Jean Hamilton said one part of this is talking about the need. She said students, staff, and families can talk about the need. For the finance part, we will need to refer to Travis Myren and Kirk Vaughn. People can talk about why we are doing this in the first place. k. Kevin Smith says the public has heard about a basic framework without any guarantees. Because it has already been made known, we need to make sure the people who can speak to this are the subject matter experts. We cannot discuss specific projects. I. Jan Johnson asks us to consider the subject matter experts (SMEs) who will cover the events, and lead the Q and A's in real time. They should be able to discuss the role of a strong educational system in a community. m. Rani Dasi says the PTAs played a critical role in the last bond. She could imagine them hosting a forum. Andrea Tanner is president of their PTA and is on the committee. n. Comm. Hamilton says that neutral people like Travis and Kirk can answer specific questions. 5. Next Steps Co-Chairs and Avenir Bold a. Jean Hamilton says we can not have a sub-committee because the timeline is so tight and we would not have time for public notice for a potential sub-committee's meetings. If we need feedback in between we can do it by email. 6. Reminder of Meeting Schedule Co-Chairs 7. Adjourn at 7:24 p.m.