Estes Hills Closure Plan

[Anne Schwarz]

Good Morning,

I write as a long term, engaged Chapel Hill resident (and employee of UNC system) with young children going through our amazing school system. I was disheartened to learn of the plan to close Estes Hills Elementary school - an institution, a source of employment, the heart of a huge community in downtown Chapel Hill, that provides so much for the families with and without children in this area. 

I urge the Town and Orange County Commissioners to think deeply and work smarter to find other financial solutions for long term viability.  Closing schools, putting kids on buses, and shipping them off to other locations is the worst possible solution and a terrible idea.  Please include the residents who care deeply and will work with you to develop a better solution than what the outside consultant was able to do. 

Thank you,

Anne Schwarz

328 Burlage Cir, Chapel Hill, NC 27514

annesch...@gmail.com 

(919) 448-4361

[Jamezetta Bedford]

Ms Schwarz,

On behalf of the Board of Orange County Commissioners, thank you for emailing us about your concerns. 

The consultant's study recommends a sequence of new schools, major renovations, and also safety and essential updates for all schools in both school districts in our county. The study provides dollar estimates as well. In NC, the county commission is mandated legal responsibility for funding school facilities. 

Under project based funding the county commissioners will approve each major project such as new middle school #5 for CHCCS and a new elementary school for Orange County Schools. Specifically for CHCCS, the bond covers a new middle school, major renovation of Carrboro Elementary and Culbreth Middle, and the basic essential maintenance for every school in the first ten years.  Each school board decides the programming at each of their schools, not the BOCC. The Superintendent brings recommendations forward to the school board who make those decisions. These would include district level programs like dual language, exceptional children's system level classes and pre-k classes. The school boards also approve curriculum, school boundaries/districting and make those types of major policy decisions. Walk zones, as you note, are part of the considerations of the board of education. You can email the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board at allboar...@chccs.k12.nc.us 

I add that our goal is to have a plan for which facilities are built or renovated and in what order, but we have to be flexible because major systems like HVACs don't always follow the warranty timelines and break out of order, or enrollment patterns change, a different wave of refugees may arrive, etc. 

Also any decisions about Estes Hills are at least 10 years out. The presentation to the BOCC said the school could be closed or a K-8 school could be built. There will be many updates before any decision there. 

We are happy to answer any questions about the school bond. There will be a hearing on the bond, June 4, 7:00 at the Whitted Building in Hillsborough. Residents may speak for up to 3 minutes at the hearing. 

Sincerely,

Jamezetta Bedford, Chair

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From: Anne Schwarz <annesch...@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, May 31, 2024 9:09 AM
To: ALL_BOCC_MANAGER_CLERK <OCB...@orangecountync.gov>
Cc: Jochen <jms.s...@gmail.com>
Subject: [EXTERNAL MAIL!] Estes Hills Closure Plan