Please insist on answers from CHCCS administration about bond referendum proposal

[Emily Ray]

Dear Board of Commissioners:

Thank you for dedication to our community and your attention to our CHCCS and the need for investment in new infrastructure. Last night, I provided comments at the CHCCS Board of Education meeting voicing concerns about the proposal, and I attended the meeting in its entirety, like you, investing time and energy after a long day at my “day job” as a cancer doctor at UNC. I care deeply about this community, as you do, not just my neighborhood around Estes Hills Elementary and Phillips Middle but the entire district that is currently threatened by this plan and out-of-touch leadership at the central office. 

I am concerned about the bond proposal and will not be able to support the bond without compelling indications that the plans will substantially change before adoption. I believe in investment in our schools, and I am willing to pay more taxes to allow much-needed investment in new infrastructure. But I am concerned about the “pass the bond now, we’ll sort it out later” approach for which many are advocating. Last night, I heard very few possible alternatives to the current plan being discussed. Al Ciarochi and the CHCCS administration seem closely attached to the Woolpert plan with little indication of flexibility in its implementation. I heard no clear alternatives being raised by the Board members in the discussions last night. And I hear from the CHCCS administration poor justifications for many of the proposed decisions, including taking Estes Hills "offline," a terrible euphemism for the disruption that a school closure creates.

You are tasked with providing funding for construction of public school facilities and determining the level of local current expense funding for public school systems in the county. In this role, you are accountable to us, the people of this community who elected you as our representatives. I implore you to ask the CHCCS administration the tough questions about their plans for the bond, require them to present you with data, and refuse to accept the Woolpert plan as the only option for our district. The plan simply does not consider many key factors that will be impacted by these changes. 

Turning over $300+ million of taxpayer money to the CHCCS is irresponsible without a clearer plan of how it will be spent. I am deeply concerned about the district's low local unassigned fund balance. I imagine you may be too, given the precedent for Orange County to "bail out" CHCCS in the recent past. How can one of the wealthiest regions in the state with comparatively high taxes be struggling financially to such a large degree? I understand that state school funding and shifting community demographics are partially to blame. I am concerned that high-salaried, largely-absent school administrators and irresponsible plans for school infrastructure are also partially to blame. Our school district will no longer be a "crown jewel" in the state if we ignore the impacts of changes to school infrastructure on students, teachers, and communities as a whole.

CHCCS administrators, Al Ciarochi and Andy Jenks, have repeatedly reminded us that this plan has been in the works for years. And yet, when asked for reports summarizing impacts on town demographics, educational outcomes, racial equity, transportation, and climate, they state that they simply cannot provide this information with 2-week’s notice. That is unacceptable. They clearly do not understand the community that they serve; no surprise given the recency of their relocation to this area, unlike many of you who know this community well. We care about those factors, in addition to caring about the state of our physical infrastructure and the financial implications of failing buildings.

Please insist on these studies from CHCCS administration and Board of Education. Please partner with the Town of Chapel Hill and Town of Carrboro and work together in the way that you all spoke of during your campaigns for office. Invite them to speak at the next meeting as experts on projected growth and transportation challenges. Please insist that Al Ciarochi and his team leverage these partnerships and existing reports as they revise their proposal and consider new options. 

Without substantial changes, this bond is threatened and our schools are therefore threatened. Many in our community, myself included, are planning to vote “No” due to uncertainty about plans for spending these funds, unless we see evidence of substantial changes and considerations for the broader community impacts of this proposal. 

Sincerely,

Emily Ray, MD, MPH

[Jamezetta Bedford]

Dr. Ray,

On behalf of the Board, we have received your email sharing your concerns about how bond proceeds will be spent in CHCCS and Estes Elementary specifically. 

The school board meets again June 20 and will also meet after that to consider additional options to which schools will be replaced (on the same site or different site), need a full renovation or to have high priority needs met. Here's the link to the Facilities Optimization Plan https://www.orangecountync.gov/DocumentCenter/View/26173/OC-Optimization-Plan-Final?bidId= .  The school board is responsible for policy and decisions like student assignment. The BOCC will schedule a meeting when a new proposal is ready for us to consider. 

The BOCC adopted a project-based approach to these bond, pay-go and large cost items for school facilities on June 4. That involves much greater attention to detail for the specific projects and funding by the BOCC for approval. We recognize that given the large investment, we have a responsibility to go above required procedures to ensure efficient best use of taxpayer dollars for the school capital needs. 

Jamezetta Bedford, Chair BOCC

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From: Emily Ray <emmi...@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, June 7, 2024 12:49 PM
To: ALL_BOCC_MANAGER_CLERK <OCB...@orangecountync.gov>
Subject: [EXTERNAL MAIL!] Please insist on answers from CHCCS administration about bond referendum proposal