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257 <br /> <br />President <br /> <br />NOTICE OF SP_ECIAL MEETING <br /> <br />A SP_.CIAL MI~ET1N. G OF T!-tF~ COLLN. C~ . .W/I_~.L BE H~&D ON Friday~ February ! 4, <br />!997 AT !_2 00 noon _IN T~H~ Basement Conference goom, <br /> <br />THE PROPOSED AGENDA IS AS FOLLOWS; <br /> <br />Luncheon meeting with School Board <br /> <br />BY ORDER OF T~ MA_YOR <br /> <br />BY Jeanne Cox (signed) <br /> <br />BASEMENT CONFERENCE ROOM - Febru_a_~' 14, 1997 <br /> <br /> Council met in special session on this date with the following members present: Ms~ <br />Daughegy, Ms~ R_ich~ds, Ms~ Slaughter, Mr, Tosc<o, Absent; Mr~ Co_x_~ <br /> <br />Ms~ Slaughter welcome Dr~ William Symom, new Superintendent of City Schoo!s~ <br /> <br /> Dr~ S,vmons reviewed the School's proposed budget, noting tha the School Board has <br />not yet taken action on the budget, Dr, Symons said that the proposed budget includes a <br />3~5% sa.law increase, and he would recommend that any additional City fianding omside the <br />proposed budget be used for additional sa!__~ary increases, <br /> <br /> In response to Council's request about budget priorities, Dr~ Symons recommended that <br />the schools determine: Are resources being expended in the most effective way? Can <br />categories of money be identified in areas where the schools do not w~t to commit to spend <br />in that way at this timed though they may want to use elsewhere? Should fimds be redirected <br />to pre-school initiatives or other new initiatives? Future st ~a~ng ratios? <br /> <br /> Mr~ O'Connd! explained that City staff are recommending that Council fid!y fund the <br />School go~d's request for $632,000 in new _funds, Mr~ O'Co_nn~! proposed that the City and <br />Schools condu, cta pay study, with a separate inkiafive for teacher sa!aries, Mr~ O'Co~_nell <br />sa/d ~at the proposed budget M!! include a pool of~nds for Council to meet program needs <br />and/or to be used as a hedge against future downtums in the economy~ <br /> <br /> Dr~ Symons presented staffs initial thoughts about priorities for the school system <br />~ou!d rever~on occur: !) ensure that schools with__ high numbers of chi!dren qua!i~ing for <br />flee/reduced lunch continue current teacheffstudent ratios and student suppo~; 2) maintain <br />cur~rent classroom student/teacher ratios; and 3) tU to ensure that current employees retain <br />emp!oyment~ <br /> <br /> Mr, Steve C _ampbe!!, School Bo~d member, said ~at he feels the City and County <br />school systems need to be able to study each others' systems, something that is not occu~ng <br />i_n the reversio~ process, to determine what is best about both systems with or .without <br />reversion. <br /> Mr~ G!e~_n Stratton, School Board member~ said ~at regardless of what happens M~ <br />reversion~ the School Board needs to agree on priorities and to decide if what is currently <br />being done is what needs doing~ <br /> <br /> Mr, Toscano read from the Halifax County/South Boston reversion decision, which <br />stated that. one school system was not reqUired to fired a higher level of service in the other <br />system than it was currently providing in its own, <br /> <br /> Responding to Council's request about how the Schools would fired prowams if <br />revision did not occur, and given fu. ture fin. ancia! coaStraints, Dr. Symons discussed three <br />major categories that he feels deserve attention: 1) Resources available to the Char!ottesvi'!!e <br /> <br /> <br />