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1993-12-13 Work Session NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS JOINT WORK SESSION, DECEMBER 13, 1993 BOOK 23 PAGE 849 ASSEMBLY The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners held a joint Work Session with the New Hanover County Board of Education and Cape Fear Community College Board of Trustees on Monday, December 13, 1993, at 7:00 P.M. in the Dale K. Spencer Building, 1802 South 15th Street, Wilmington, North Carolina. Members present were: Commissioners Sandra Barone; WilliamA. Caster; William E. Sisson, Jr.; vice-Chairman E. L. Mathews, Jr.; Chairman Robert G. Greer; County Manager Allen 0' Neal; County Attorney, Wanda M. Copley; and Clerk to the Board, Lucie F. Harrell. Members present from the Board Janice Cavenaugh; Rachel Freeman; Mayorga; James R. pierce; Lori T. Superintendent of Schools. of Education were: Chairman Allene C. Keith; Edward W. Stephenson; and Tom McNeel, Members present from the Cape Fear Community College Board of Trustees were: Vice-Chairman Oscar A. Graham; Stephen H. Davenport; Jon W. Rosborough; Charles (Chuck) Agnoff; William C. Taylor; James E. Vann; Mary Elizabeth Hood; Franklin E. Williams, Sr.; and Interim President, Raymond Stone. Chairman Greer called the meeting to order and welcomed everyone present. He reported the Work Session had been called to discuss the proposed bond issues to be presented to the voters on March 8, 1994. As the population of New Hanover County continues to grow and the number of students increases, it is imperative to provide the funds necessary to meet the current space needs and renovations of New Hanover County schools. In his opinion, all boards should work together in support of the referendum to ensure its passage. Counties are mandated to fund school needs and with the desirable interest rates on the bond market, money can be saved with passage of the proposed bond issues. New Hanover County Finance Director, Andrew J. Atkinson, presented a timetable reflecting the events that must occur before a bond referendum can be held on Tuesday, March 8, 1994. OVERVIEW OF NEW HANOVER COUNTY SCHOOL BOND ISSUE Ms. Diane Avery, Director of School-Community presented a slide presentation on the School Bond issue. of the presentation was on space needs. Relations, The focus The fact is that New Hanover County schools are running out of space. According to the State Department of Public Instruction standards, the capacity for New Hanover County Schools is 17,091 students. The present enrollment is 20,253. Students are meeting in inappropriate spaces including cafeterias, stages, churches, basements, and workrooms. In high schools, 55 teachers do not have classrooms of their own; they travel from room to room to teach classes. Presently, 45 trailers are currently being used as classrooms, 32 of which were built in the 1960's. The State Department of Instruction issued a report in 1990 stating that 14 school buildings in New Hanover County need to be replaced within five years. Projections for enrollment are 500-600 new students per year from 1994 to the year 2000. In the 1993-1994 school year enrollment increased by 574 students. All New Hanover County School buildings need renovations and repairs to meet fire codes, remove asbestos, and make schools accessible to the handicapped. The New Hanover County Board of Education is requesting $39,900,000 in school bonds to accomplish the following critical improvements: -Build new facilities and additions to alleviate some of the overcrowding in our schools. NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS JOINT WORK SESSION, DECEMBER 13, 1993 BOOK 23 PAGE 850 -Replace some obsolete facilities. -Renovate and repair other facilities. -Correct fire, health, and safety problems ln all schools. -Make all schools accessible to the handicapped. -Provide computers for classrooms. The cost for these improvements will be through a bond issue spread over many years. The payback of bonds will cost the taxpayer a maximum of 4.1 cents per $100 assessed property value, which represents an increase of $41 in property taxes on a $100,000 home. The following chart was presented on the property tax lncrease: 1994-1995 1995-1996 1996-1997 .8 cents 2.9 cents 3.6 cents 1997-1998 1998-1999 1999-2000 4.1 cents 4.1 cents 3.8 cents A listing of new school construction and improvements proj ects was presented. The list reflected the exact needs and costs per school. Discussion was held on the importance of factually informing the public about the condition of our present schools in order for them to understand why $39,900,000 is needed to begin the renovation projects and construct additional schools to meet the space needs. Chairman Greer, on behalf of the Board, expressed appreciation to Ms. Avery for an excellent presentation. OVERVIEW OF CAPE FEAR COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOND ISSUE Mr. Oscar Graham, Vice-Chairman of the Cape Fear Community College Board of Trustees, expressed appreciation for the opportuni ty to meet with the County Commissioners and Board of Education to discuss the needs of the College. He commented on the importance of Cape Fear Community College to the area, especially for industry, and requested the Interim-President, Dr. Raymond Stone, to review the bond issue. Dr. Stone presented the following overVlew: Construction of Work Force Training Center: This facility will educate and train adults for entry into health care, emergency services, and fields related to business and industry. Health Care Certifications will be offered to Emergency Medical Technicians and Nurses Aide I, II, and III. During 1992 -93, 843 students were certified as Nurses Aides, Levels I and II; and 1,260 students received mandatory N. C. training for Licensed Emergency Medical Technicians. The Work Force Training Center will provide space to better serve business and industry. During 1992-93, training was provided for 259 management personnel in Health Care, Industry, and Government. Approximately 1,013 existing or potential small business owners attended seminars and classes; and 293 students from local industry were trained for certification to meet OSHA and EPA standards in the area of Hazardous Materials & Industrial Fire Fighting. Moving services to the Work Force Training Center will free 5,000 to 6,000 square feet in the McLeod Building for greatly needed curriculum programs. Also, space will be provided for the Basic Skills Department to administer the following programs: Work Place Literacy; GED Preparation and Testing; Adult High School; and Adult Basic Education. Construction of a Health Sciences Building The new Health Sciences Building will help to address the critical shortage of allied health professionals in New Hanover County and Southeastern North Carolina. The following programs and services will be provided: NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS JOINT WORK SESSION, DECEMBER 13, 1993 BOOK 23 PAGE 851 Certified Nursing Assistant Child Care Program Child Care Services for Students Dental Assistant Dental Hygiene Health Information Technology Licensed Practical Nursing Phlebotomy Physical Therapist Assistant Radiology Technology In summary, there has been no increase ln instructional space on the Cape Fear Community College Campus since 1976. The enrollment has quadrupled; therefore, the passage of the bond issue is of utmost importance to the College. Due to a lack of space, the full range of programs that accreditation requires has been denied. After a lengthy discussion on the need for additional space at Cape Fear Community College, Chairman Greer, on behalf of the Board, expressed appreciation to Dr. Stone for an informative presentation. QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD Chairman Greer stressed the importance of better understanding the bond issues and opened the floor to receive questions. Mr. Chuck Agnoff commented on the excellent job being performed by the Interim-President, Dr. Stone, and reported there is a true feeling of renaissance among the Board of Trustees. The College is moving forward and Dr. Stone has performed an excellent job in preparing the bond package. Also, as the number of school students grow and these students leave high school to expand their horizons, the services offered by Cape Fear Community College will also grow and become more meaningful to the community. The space needs are real and the Board of Trustees will work diligently to inform the public of these needs. Board of Education Member, Rachel Freeman, reported there is concern among minority groups that the proposed school bond issue does not address the needs of all the segments of the community. This matter has been discussed by the Board of Education for the past year without a successful conclusion. In her opinion, this matter should be resolved before the bond referendum. Board of Education Member, James Pierce, reported the basic differences among the members of the Board of Education are as follows: (1) Trust: The prepared bond package does list very specifically how the funds will be spent. There was an effort by some members of the Board of Education to make the bond issue more specific; for example, printing the specific location of new schools on the ballot. The School Attorney and County Attorney recommended being general in the wording in case a catastrophic event should occur and a new school building would have to be constructed at another location. (2) The Location of the Northern Elementary and South Central Elementary Schools: A majority of the members of the Board of Education do not feel that specific building sites should be designated because it is uncertain as to where the majority of children and families will be living. Also, the cost of land will increase with designated locations. (3) Priority for Replacinq Portions of the Greqory School Facility: Concern has been expressed by some members of the NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS JOINT WORK SESSION, DECEMBER 13, 1993 BOOK 23 PAGE 852 Board of Education as to the priority of expanding and replacing portions of Gregory School. It is felt by the majority of Board Members that overcrowding must be alleviated first with the construction of new elementary schools. After completion of construction, improvements will be made to Gregory, Winter Park, and Wrightsboro schools. A strong commitment has been made to the downtown area by placement of the magnet school at Gregory. A year ago, people were looking for ways to move out of the Gregory school district, now people are looking for ways to move into this district because of the success of the magnet school. The Board of Education is trying to create schools throughout the entire County that will encourage more parental involvement in the education of their children. (4) Commitment to Maintaininq Racial Balance: At the Board of Education Retreat in February, 1993, it was the consensus of the Board to commit to developing racial balance numbers throughout all schools. The major objective is to look for ways to make children want to integrate within the schools rather than have to integrate because of where they live. There is a difference of philology among the members of the Board of Education. Board of Education Member, Rachel Freeman, commented on space being the major theme and stated this is important, but the main issue is education. Concern was expressed for asking the public to commit to $39,900,000 for construction and renovations of school buildings without the assurance that all children will be given equal access. The issue of trust is important and has been discussed among the members of the Board of Education with very little progress made in this area. New Hanover County has maintained a racial balance of 70 to 30 throughout the community for a number of years. These balances have been allowed to drift and are now very much out of kilter. This matter needs to be answered before asking the public to approve the school bond issue. As to the location of the elementary schools, she feels specific definitions and a review of demographics as to the types of neighborhoods should be provided to encourage balanced schools. The term, balanced schools, is not just referring to race, but also to social economics. It is important for there to be a mix of all races and economic backgrounds in the County schools in order to allow our children to grow up and become successful in the real world. Before the people of New Hanover County are asked to approve the bond issue, these concerns must be addressed. Chairman Greer stressed the importance of meeting the needs of all the segments of the community and offered to assist the Board of Education in any way possible to answer these concerns. Mr. James E. Vann, a member of the Cape Fear Community College Board of Trustees, expressed concern for the inter-conflict among the members of the Board of Education and stated if these matters cannot be resolved, it would be beneficial for these problems not to be magnified if the bond issues are to pass. School Board Chairman Janice Cavenaugh differences are philosophical; therefore, it is individuals to resolve these areas of conflict. members of the Board of Education will continue to these issues. reported the difficult for Hopefully, the try to resolve Commissioner Sisson commented on the areas of perceived problems and reported the key issue is parental involvement in the schools and the education of their children. Many concerns from the communi ty indicate there are some severe problems wi th the NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS JOINT WORK SESSION, DECEMBER 13, 1993 BOOK 23 PAGE 853 school system. Hopefully, both boards will work together ln answering and addressing these concerns. Chairman Greer closed the question and answer period. ADJOURNMENT After further discussion of the need for the bond issues to pass and the importance of all groups working together to resolve any conflict areas, Chairman Greer adjourned the meeting at 8:45 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Lucie F. Harrell Clerk to the Board