Public School Funding

Spoke on behalf of Orange County Public Schools Strong, urging the board to use its platform to educate voters about the misleading tax amendments on the November ballot and their impact on public schools.

Advocated for robust school funding and cautioned against cutting capital projects that address critical community needs.

Expressed appreciation for amendments to fund school continuation budgets while minimizing tax burdens on residents.

Read a statement from East Chapel Hill High School social workers thanking the board for supporting whole-child student services.

A high school freshman described the value of school language programs and mental health specialists, urging full continuation and pay-go funding.

A high school freshman credited student services staff with helping him recover from a severe medical condition and urged protection of those positions.

Spoke on behalf of public school families, emphasizing that investing in education today saves money on safety net services in the future.

Spoke as a pediatrician about how school social workers assist children with anxiety and prevent teachers from being overwhelmed.

Urged the board to fully fund the school continuation budget and pay-go capital funding to protect educational quality.

Spoke as president of the local educators association urging full funding for schools, senior services, and libraries.

Urged the board to fully fund school continuation budgets and pay-go capital funding, noting that schools support entire community ecosystems.

Asked the board to review structural deficits in school employee supplements and consult with other counties with multiple school districts.

An 8th grader at Smith Middle School praised the strong community and support at CHCCS and urged the board to maintain robust public school funding.

Expressed support from Public School Strong for fully funding the continuation budget while minimizing tax impacts through administrative efficiencies.

Asked the board to fully fund the school continuation budget and protect school capital facilities from neglect.

An 8th grader shared concerns about teachers working multiple jobs to make ends meet and urged increased school funding.

A 7th grader spoke about the struggles teachers face with low pay and urged increased investment in public education.

Expressed gratitude for school support and urged increased funding for arts and language programs.

An eighth-grade student spoke about the importance of elective teachers and the library teen room.

Encouraged long-term administrative efficiency and eventual school system merger discussions.

A fifth-grade student with Type 1 Diabetes spoke on the vital role of school nurses.

A newly elected school board member urged salary supplement increases and highlighted growing EC and EL populations.

Spoke as CHCCS-AE president, supporting community solidarity and tax equalization.

CHCCS school board chair discussed budget gaps and state salary alignment challenges.

Urged the board to fully fund Orange County Schools' request for teacher and staff salary supplements.

Urged full funding of the Orange County Schools continuation budget, noting the manager's proposal falls short.

Expressed solidarity with public school teachers and urged full funding of the continuation budget.

Supported fully funding the OCS continuation budget and criticized state-level underfunding of public education.

Highlighted stagnant teacher pay and inflation pressures, urging full funding of supplements.

Shared that she works multiple jobs as a teacher and urged the board to match or surpass school funding requests.

A fourth-grade student spoke in favor of funding dual-language mandarin programs and keeping the library fully funded.

Urged the board to pass a continuation budget for schools and publicly demand state education funding.

Spoke as OCAE president about educator retention struggles and the high cost of living in Orange County.

Described uncompensated work hours and urged the board to raise education funding.

Shared that she and her husband cannot afford housing in Orange County on educator salaries.

Described working multiple second jobs and living out of her car during summers to afford teaching in Orange County.

Shared his experience leaving teaching due to burnout and returning, using an ecosystem analogy to urge investment.

Read testimonies from anonymous educator colleagues working multiple jobs and urged full funding of OCS.

Expressed concern that he and his wife cannot afford housing in Orange County and may look to other districts.

Shared her difficulty finding housing in Hillsborough despite savings and praised school staff.

Spoke as a Chapel Hill school parent about the vital services public schools provide and urged the county to maintain robust funding to retain teachers despite state funding shortfalls.