[Durham INC] Fw: DPS Budget Cuts-- Say NO and improve drop out rates, crime, etc.

[Melissa Rooney]

Everyone should read the article regarding Durham School funds and budget cuts that appeared in the Herald Sun today. (It is cut and pasted below for your perusal.)

Please thank your school board members (email addresses below) and ask the county commissioners (email addresses also below) to back them up. We also need to get people to sign the petition to allow SCHOOL impact fees on NEW development -- this has to be accomplished via the state, but Durham and the School Board have not been lobbying them on this in recent years. And Chatham and Orange Counties have been allowed to collect such fees for years.

here's the petition site:


http://www.petitiononline.com/DrhmSchl/petition.html

As always -- Thanks!
Melissa (Rooney)


--- On Fri, 5/15/09, Melissa Rooney <mmr121570 at yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Melissa Rooney <mmr121570 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Thanks! DPS can't take more budget cuts -- nor can our drop out rates, crime, etc.
To: "Leigh Bordley" <leigh.bordley at gmail.com>, hhcjog at yahoo.com, Stephen.Martin at dpsnc.net, "Minnie Forte-Brown" <Minnie.Forte-Brown at dpsnc.net>, "Fredrick Davis" <Fredrick.Davis at dpsnc.net>, "Kirsten Kainz" <Kirsten.Kainz at dpsnc.net>, "Omega Curtis-Parker" <Omega.Curtis-Parker at dpsnc.net>, "Gwen Parker" <Gwen.Parker at dpsnc.net>,
 "Carl Harris" <Carl.Harris at dpsnc.net>, "Hank Hurd" <Hank.Hurd at dpsnc.net>, "Kay Williams" <Kay.Williams at dpsnc.net>, Hugh.Osteen at dpsnc.net
Cc: commissioners at durhamcountync.gov
Date: Friday, May 15, 2009, 1:34 PM

To all the dedicated school board members,

Thank you for sticking to your guns and resisting more cuts to DPS funding.

I hope that the County will follow suit (touch wood), and I hope that both DPS and the County will aggressively lobby the state to allow Durham to impose SCHOOL impact fees on NEW DEVELOPMENT, as Orange and Chatham Counties have been allowed to do for years now. Until this is
 accomplished, transfer fees (expressly for the purpose of funding our schools) should be put on every election ballot until citizens vote them in.

Below is the comment I left on the Durham Herald Sun website (re: "School board adds $2.1M to budget plan").

Thank you again!
Melissa

Melissa Rooney, Ph.D.
301 Spring Garden Drive
Durham, NC 27713



				
				

		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
				The school board and the county should push for state legislation allowing Durham County to impose impact fees on NEW DEVELOPMENT solely for the purpose of funding our schools.

It is undemocratic, and just plain unfair that Orange and Chatham county can charge developers such impact fees, while Durham (and most others) cannot. How can that be legal? The ability to impose SCHOOL impact fees on new development should be consistent ACROSS THE STATE.

The citizen petition to permit NEW DEVELOPMENT school impact fees is still online. I urge everyone to sign it so that development can start paying for itself. Better late than never, and we tax payers are already going to be paying for existing development for a very long time.

The petition website is:

http://www.petitiononline.com/DrhmSchl/petition.html

The unrestricted development permitted throughout Durham in the last 10 years may have increased
 home-builders-association and the development industry's financial contributions to campaign funds, but the lack of long-term planning and consideration of the true costs are going to cost Durham taxpayers much more than 2.5 million in the School Budget. Jordan Lake has been devastated, and our schools are overcrowded, with no money to build any more in the near future. 

It's time to start paying the piper...

We cannot continue to let the development industry have their way while erroneously assuming that the increased property tax base is going to pay for clean-up costs and infrastructure like schools. 




				
				
				
		

		
		
		
			
		
		
			School board adds $2.1M to budget plan
			
		
		
		
			
		
	
		

		
		
		
			BY MATT GOAD
			
		
			
			 : The Herald-Sun
			
		
		
			
			
				
				
			
		
		
			
			
			
mgoad at heraldsun.com
			
		
		
			
			
May 15, 2009
			
		
		
		
		


		
		 
		 
		
		
		


		
		
		
			
			
		
		
			
				
					
			 
		
		DURHAM -- The Durham Board of Education took an aggressive stance with the Board of County Commissioners on Thursday, not only ignoring the request Monday by the county manager to cut $2.5 million from the schools superintendent's budget, but adding $2.1 million.    


In making his motion to pass the increase, board member Stephen Martin proposed that the county institute a 2-cent increase in property taxes to create a $4.6 million infusion that would allow Durham Public Schools to meet the school board's spending goal.     


That would also keep a popular after-school program alive and reduce personnel cuts.     


Durham Public Schools Superintendent Carl Harris had proposed a
2009-2010 budget of $401,176,634, reflecting a decrease in local
funding of $650,000. On Monday, Mike Ruffin, avoiding any potential property tax increase, said he would propose a cut of $2.5 million in local school funding.    


The board's proposed $403.3 million budget request reflects a $15.7
million reduction in net funding from the current fiscal year. 


Before discussion by the school board Thursday night, DPS Chief
Operating Officer Hank Hurd presented a plan that would cut $2.5
million as requested by Ruffin. 


Board member Fredrick Davis made a motion to accept the
superintendent's budget as presented, but it died when no one seconded
the motion. 


After more discussion, Martin made his motion, which passed unanimously.    


Martin proposed that the additional $2.1 million in local funding be
used to keep the Encore! middle school after-school program that the
state cut and reduce staff by a smaller amount. 


The budget presented by the superintendent would have cut 377
positions, including 98 teaching positions and 81 teacher assistant
posts. 


The budget passed by the board would keep 33 of those teacher jobs and 25 assistant positions.    


"It's clear to me that we need more money," board member Leigh Bordley said. "I can't support a budget that cuts teachers."    


Board member Omega Curtis Parker agreed: "It is imperative that we keep our teachers."    


Seven people spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting, including two elementary students. 
		
		
		


      




      


      
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