Orange schools seek 8.35% increase

The Orange County superintendent's plan would increase the tax rate by 1.39 cents

HILLSBOROUGH -- Orange County Schools Superintendent Patrick Rhodes recommended a $1.8 million increase, or 8.35 percent, over last year's budget to the school board Monday.

Rhodes' budget recommendation would add 1.39 cents to the tax rate.

Orange County and the two school districts within it have begun the budgeting process earlier in anticipation of another tight budget year.

Neil Pedersen, superintendent of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, had recommended to his board a $6.8 million increase next year that he proposed could be funded in part by increasing the county's per-pupil spending, adding 2.62 cents per $100 valuation to the county tax rate.

Rhodes said he and his staff whittled down almost $9.8 million in requests from individual schools.

Some of those requests are met in the district's capital budget, while other needs can be met through the reorganization and redeployment of resources, Rhodes said.

The increase would go mostly toward expected state increases in teacher pay and benefits and a change in the state's requirements for the number of exceptional children's program positions, Rhodes said.

In addition, he proposed:

* $25,000 to expand the AVID program for underachieving students into high school.

* $25,000 to offer an educational alternative to suspensions, summer recruitment for dropouts, and a high school transition program.

* $25,000 to enhance the district's gifted services.

* $66,000 for one gifted teacher position.

* $132,000 for two English as a Second Language teacher positions.

The board will hold public hearings on both the operational and capital budget proposals at 6 p.m. April 7 and 7 p.m. April 10 in the auditorium of A.L. Stanback Middle School, 3700 N.C. 86 South, Hillsborough.

The Orange County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to adopt its budget in June.