The importance of Estes Hills

[Brittain Fish]

Good afternoon,

I am a parent of two young children who attend Estes Hills. My husband also attended Estes Hills 38 years ago. We have absolutely loved this school community. It is an invaluable resource to the town of Chapel Hill, having an elementary school within walking distance to our home and at a wonderful and integral community location. The thought that Estes Hills could be closed seems short sided at best. It seems this plan was made without any input from parents or the community at large, perhaps just out sourcing it to a group that was focused solely on monetary reasons. I think as a town, we pride ourselves on the value of our education, its quality, not just the base price of such.

Not to mention the poor planning with the town, busing, and transportation is already a nightmare. I can’t imagine busing children across town in the future when we can’t even get them home consistently as it is currently. Also, there continues to be dramatic construction on Estes. Such a major construction project would have huge implications for a major vein that runs through our town and is needed to effectively get to Carrboro while bypassing the university, as well as giving access to Phillips.

I hope that you will strongly take a back step and reconsider all implications of the Estes Hills elementary school community. The school should be preserved, or maintained in some fashion with absolute community involvement. Busing our children to other locations and disrupting their very impressionable years is ludicrous. There must be a better way with more thoughtful planning.

Thank you,
Brittain

Sent from my iPhone

[Jamezetta Bedford]

Brittain,

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 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 understand this is on the school board's June 6 agenda and there is time for public comment. 

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. The BOCC was also told that a K-8 school could replace Estes and Phillips. Those are 10+ years out and much will change by then. The plan will be updated regularly. 

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: Brittain Fish <britta...@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 4, 2024 12:54 PM
To: allboar...@chccs.k12.nc.us <allboar...@chccs.k12.nc.us>; ALL_BOCC_MANAGER_CLERK <OCB...@orangecountync.gov>
Subject: [EXTERNAL MAIL!] The importance of Estes Hills