AT A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE RAPPAHANNOCK COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS HELD ON THE 25th DAY OF APRIL, TWO THOUSAND AND EIGHT AT SEVEN O'CLOCK P.M. AT THE RAPPAHANNOCK COUNTY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GYMNASIUM

Present	Present	Absent
Robert P Anderson, Chairman Ronald L. Frazier, V-Chm S. Bryant Lee Roger A Welch Edward D. Wayland	John McCarthy, Co. Adm. Diane Bruce, Clerk	None

Chairman Anderson called the meeting to order at 7:00 o'clock p.m. and announced that the purpose of the meeting was to conduct a public hearing on the FY09 School Board Budget.

FY08 School Board Budget Public Hearing:

Dr. Robert Chappell, Superintendent of Schools, distributed a fact sheet, attached hereto as Exhibit A, and made opening remarks regarding the proposed budget. The FY09 budget in the total amount of $12,063,799 is $33,135 less than the FY08 budget. Total cost increases projected at $324,865 are offset by projected savings in the total amount of $358,000. Due to reductions in state revenues, the budget will require an increase in local contributions in the amount of $470,709. The proposed budget also proposes a 3.5% salary increase which is less than the 2007 consumer price index increase of 4.1%.

School Board members Wesley Mills, Aline Johnson, Chairman Ken Marlor, Rosa Crocker and Meredith Gorfein all spoke on behalf of the proposed budget, commenting on all aspects of the budget including measures that have been taken to accommodate declining enrollment and the reduction in revenue from the Commonwealth. They all urged the Board to adopt the FY09 budget as submitted in the interest of providing the best education possible. The School Board members filed thirty-two letters supporting the budget as submitted and one letter opposing the proposed budget. (Letters filed with papers of meeting.)

Chairman Anderson opened the public hearing at 7:45 o'clock p.m. and asked speakers to give their names, magisterial district and to keep their comments to no more than three minutes. He added that letters should be submitted to the Board but not read into the record.

Speaking in favor of fully funding the proposed budget were the following persons: Margaret Ann Wayland, Douglas K. Baumgardner, Stephanie Shaw, Helen Williams, Margaret Lee, Zach Jackson, Miranda Hope, Sharon Kilpatrick, Ken Thompson, Robert Weinberg, Dorothy Armistead, Peter Kramer, Jenny Yowell, Tiffany ____, John Diley, Ron Makela, Karen Sanborn, Jimmy Deal, John Tole, Rich Hogan, Kathryn Treanor and Ryan __________. These speakers urged the Supervisors to fully fund the budget and stressed the importance of quality education. They commented that the increase in taxes is worth the expenditure. Mention was made of state championships and other successes in competitive events in numerous academic, technology and music programs. Emphasis was made on how important it is to provide the best possible education for today's students who will be living in a competitive and quickly changing world made increasingly smaller by technology.

Speaking in opposition to the proposed budget were the following persons: Tom Junk and Roger Cordani, who stated that he was submitting approximately 75 letters opposed to raising taxes. These speakers opposed raising taxes to support the budget and urged the school board to address the recommendations made in the recent MGT Efficiency Review of the school system.

There being no other comments, Chairman Anderson closed the public hearing at 9:00 o'clock p.m.

Each Supervisor thanked all the speakers for their interest and input. Mr. Frazier added that it is not the job of the Board of Supervisors to set salaries but the job of the School Board. He also emphasized the need to address the recommendations made in the MGT Efficiency Review.

Mr. McCarthy advised all that the Board will adopt a FY09 school board budget at its regular meeting on Monday, May 5, 2008.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:05 o'clock pm.

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Robert P. Anderson, Chairman