The Guilford County Board of Commissioners and Guilford County Schools continue to provide ammunition to those who oppose the $1.7 billion school bond referendum on the May 17 ballot.
Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston has been leading tours of schools that are in need of repair. These tours bring up a lot of questions.
One is, if the facilities of Guilford County Schools are in such bad repair because the GCS doesn’t have the money to pay for the repairs, why hasn’t Alston led a tour of the GCS administration building?
Perhaps that is because, despite the lack of funding for schools, the GCS administration building has had recent renovations. School board members contacted said they were not told of the cost, but it is certain that the money spent on the administration building was not spent on schools.
In 2020, the voters of Guilford County approved $300 million in bonds for the schools, which has not been spent. Guilford County reportedly advanced GCS a couple of million, but the first bond sale was approved by the commissioners in February. The bonds can’t be spent until they are sold. So, if the needs are so great, why hasn’t that money already been allocated for leaky roofs, paint, doors, windows, heating and air-conditioning systems, new toilets and other bathroom facilities and a whole host of needs that don’t require architects and design teams to fix?
Even in 2022, $300 million is not pocket change, and quite a few schools could be brought up to an acceptable level for $300 million. But if schools were being repaired now, it would detract from the argument that $1.7 billion is needed immediately.
Finally, GCS announced plans to build a $21 million building for administrators and teachers to hold meetings. Perhaps that is needed, but it is not $21 million being spent on students or a facility that students would use. It is $21 million being spent on a facility for staff training and community education using COVID-19 relief dollars.
In other words – not a school but another building for the administration.
If the schools have money to do renovations in the main administration building, are in the process of building a new $21 million building for administrators and can’t figure out how to spend $300 million to repair schools, why should people vote to allow the country to borrow $1.7 billion for more construction projects?
Amen
Amen
Incompetent leadership abounds at both the School System and with the Commissioners. In 2020, the costs for repairs would have been much less than they will be in the near future as construction materials have soared and the cost of labor from contractors has increased due to a labor shortage. If you cannot manage $300 million, why would anyone agree to give the School System nearly six times that amount. Finally, if the administration would simply get rid of the dead wood, they would not need a new $21 million complex as there would be vacant office space to spare. Until there is a new school superintendent in place that has experience in fiscal responsibility and is prepared to clean house in the administration, the bond referendum should be voted down.
Agree 100% Vote No until we have a new BOA who have the brains to run the system and manage.
Hammer always asking the right questions. I understand the schools are in need of repair and maintenance but how do they expect to manage $1.7 billion if they couldn’t manage $300 million. They need to do a better job of transparency and planning before they (i.e. Skip) can be trusted with that much money.
Look what they are doing at Grimsley with the “new Kiser”. They are hurting students and athletes and not helping at all . They are lying to the Citizens, and they haven’t a clue. If they are doing this to Grimsley, what and who is next. They are not for the students, they are for themselves..
Every incumbent needs to be voted out and let’s see if a completely new board can do a better job. The superintendent is supposedly leaving, and we need to search diligently to find a GOOD replacement.
Bingo!!!! Bet you get no answers to spot on questions listed. Don’t worry, still a NO vote here.
Don’t forget the lottery money. Also recheck amount for training facility. https://www.takebackourschools-gcs.com/gcs-esser-funds
Amen… and for the time being , the administrators and teachers could meet at the coliseum convention center and save $21 million. And later, give themselves nice offices which I have no problem with. Priorities people …
I like your idea Mac, why don’t they use the coliseum, or any gym or auditorium at some of the bigger schools?
Not only NO. But HELL NO until all current democrats and school administration are GONE and GONE
That is a question that any/all parents of children in Guilford Co. schools should want to know first and foremost. If the question is not answered with facts and figures, instead of hems and haws, we’ll have to get back to you on that one, then obviously a new bond referendum is not needed.
Excellent points.
Thanks for the information.
I’ve spoke about GCS and funding issues for the last 2yrs on my YouTube platform SPYCE INVADERZ TV enlightening the people of Guilford County about the frivolous spending of Relief Funds and what I like to call the kicking the can effect students in Guilford County haven’t been the only ones short changed but the entire State of North Carolina has Violated students Constitution hence Leandro Case
What has the county done with all the Covid-19 funding that was thrown to all the schools thru out the country?
What has the county done with all the Covid-19 funding that was thrown to all the schools thru out the country? No, I have not previously commented this.
There is so much mis management. Never have I seen so many government and school officials cry about helping the children and then do nothing about it when they have resources except help themselves. What a joke! $87 million in lottery money, $300 million in bond money and NOTHING is being done! They just want more so they can spend it on their pet projects like indoctrinating our children. I won’t vote for a red cent until these crooks are out of office!
A major question that should be asked is why have these school buildings not been kept up continuously throughout their lifetimes? When schools are built, or any government building, they are using taxpayer invested money, and those properties should be kept care of. There are people on the payroll specifically designated to maintain these facilities, and over and over for many administrations bonds have been passed to repair and maintain these school facilities as well as build new schools. Yet the same buildings sit and continue to deteriorate with no repairs being done which makes no sense, and the bond money continues to sit in bank accounts. Explain that. The bond money from 2020 sits in the account, but what about past bond money, how much of it is still sitting waiting to be used, and why? This is similar to the money sitting in the County Budget while they ask for tax increases to cover “future needs” and then brag about giving millions to a downtown museum no one visits. Money is constantly being wasted, buildings are allowed to rot forcing new ones to be built by shaming voters with pictures of kids going to rundown classrooms. It’s stupid. Until there are new school administrators, new school board members, and new county commissioners, I will never vote to approve bond money for the schools. None of these people are able to handle a budget, money, finances, or public properties responsibly. And I will not vote for anyone who is in any way connected to real estate buying, selling, law, development, construction, regulation, planning, et. al. They all have ulterior motives.
I cannot and will not support the upcoming school bond referendum. Poor foresight and poor management of public funds.
This fiasco is similar to the $10mil that Contreras was allocator spend on metal detectors,etc for safety of children.When she was asked about that money she had no clue as to where the money went .She has not been thrifty nor frugal in her response and records to indicate her responsibility for using taxpayers money in a more responsible fashion.When will the people of Greensboro get a Superintendent that is capable of ‘walking and chewing gum at the same time’.
In Greensboro,are we in the mode that we need to fill the Superintendent’s position with a minority.We have tried ,now get a Qualified individual.We say that our children are our future!!!!If we only fill their heads with trash such as ‘white people are bad and black people have been mistreated.Please note that almost all people in the U S alive today had nothing to do with that .This includes blacks and whites of today.
When I went to school the teachers taught the 3R’s.Maybe you don’t recognize that ;”Reading,Riting,and Rithmatic”.
Most of us remember having Sex-Ed classes in 9th and 10th grades.By that time we knew what life was about;’the birds and bees’ you had better sense than to mention sex in a classroom.