On Thursday, June 5, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing on the proposed 2025-2026 county budget, and over 30 speakers came forward – many of them educators, parents, and school employees – strongly urging the board to increase local funding for the Guilford County Schools system.

The commissioners’ meeting room on the second floor of the Old Guilford County Court House in downtown Greensboro was packed, which meant many attendees had to view the meeting from the rarely used balcony seating.

The difference between what the school system asked the Board of Commissioners for and what’s in the manager’s recommended budget is vast; however, the board is very school friendly – it includes a current teacher and two former school board members who all like getting money to the schools.

Some other issues came up as well – like a plea for more money to help the homeless and prevent evictions – however, interestingly, not a single speaker at the public hearing asked the board for a reduction in property taxes.

After the hearing, the commissioners thanked the speakers for their input.  The commissioners will no doubt try and find some additional money for the schools – they always do – but this year it will be tougher than ever.  The county has taken its savings account below levels considered financially responsible by state oversight officials, and the county is also facing a payback of school bond debt of over $3 billion when interest is added in.

The hearing, part of the county’s annual budget process, gave residents an opportunity to speak directly to commissioners about how their tax dollars should be allocated. While the county budget encompasses everything from law enforcement to parks and libraries, the overwhelming focus of public comment was public education.

The first speaker, David Coates, pointed to the amount requested by the school system and emphasized that, in his view, the county had the financial capacity to provide millions more. He referenced a projected surplus and additional expected revenue from next year’s property revaluation as reasons the board should consider going beyond the county manager’s current recommendation.

“Be good stewards of our county’s first and best investment – our children,” Coates said, urging commissioners to recognize the broader economic and cultural strengths of Guilford County and to match them with a strong commitment to education funding.

A high school math teacher named Samantha told the commissioners that she’d chosen her profession out of a love for learning and teaching –a passion that had been instilled in her by her mother, who had also worked in education. However, she described how inadequate pay and declining morale were driving teachers out of the profession.

“Right now, we are facing a budget that will impact students and workers directly,” she said. “We are fighting for every penny possible because we know what it means for our students.”

Another speaker, Brian Carter, painted a picture of schools trying to keep students engaged in the face of resource constraints. He described how weather-related closures had forced schools to rely on virtual learning days. He also said he and other parents were taking their concerns not only to county leaders but also to members of Congress.

“We are running out of options,” Carter said. “If you guys can’t step up and do it, I’m not quite sure who’s left.”

A young mother who teaches and works in a diner told the commissioners that one of her co-workers – Megan – was also a full-time high school teacher who had to work at the diner three nights a week to make ends meet.

 “One job ought to be enough,” she said. “Because it’s not, students are suffering. We’re seeing decreases in literacy and other performance issues. Our kids deserve better.”

Sarah Jones, a longtime public school teacher, went a step further. “Please raise my taxes,” she said bluntly. “Send our children to wonderful public schools where they are educated by teachers like me.”

Jones said that after years of infrastructure investment in Guilford County Schools, the time had come to invest in the people.

“We are struggling to bring in new educators who want to work for the amount of money they’ll make,” she said. “This Commission finds itself in a stopgap—but educators understand the circle. We live it every day.”

A Whitsett man told commissioners that, while the county wasn’t solely responsible for school funding shortfalls, it still had a duty to act.

“No matter how inconvenient it may be, these are still Guilford County schools,” he said. He took issue with the idea of preserving savings for a ‘rainy day,’ arguing that the underfunding of schools was already an emergency. “Just because an emergency is ongoing doesn’t mean it stops being an emergency.”

A seventh-grade science teacher addressed not only teacher pay but also the low wages of classified staff – that is, those such as bus drivers, cafeteria workers and custodians.

She pointed out that under the current state salary schedule, teachers with more than a decade of experience have seen little or no pay increases across multiple years.

“We cannot allow our children to pay the price for this funding shortfall,” she said. “Our kids deserve better.”

One speaker, who works in the maintenance department for Guilford County Schools, said that despite his long tenure he and other classified workers often have to take second jobs just to make ends meet.

“We work hard every day,” he said. “We just want to be paid fairly for what we do.”

One teacher who had just received her students’ test scores said she was proud of her students’ growth but disheartened by what she called a lack of recognition from policymakers.

“I am one of those effective teachers,” she said. “But I’m embarrassed – not proud – to be a teacher, because of how little value is placed on our work.”

An 11-year school employee addressed the commissioners with the following question: “What is your why?”

She asked board members to think deeply about the reasons they got into public service and to let those motivations guide their budget decisions.

“This budget is your opportunity to shape the impact you have on people’s lives,” she said at the meeting. “Do all that you are able to provide our public school students the sound education that is their right.”

Another mother with two children in the school system told the commissioners that teachers and school staff are being priced out of the communities that they serve.

“They’re not asking for luxury,” she said. “They’re asking for dignity—a living wage.”

She argued that better compensation for educators would benefit not just students, but also families, neighborhoods, and the broader local economy.

“Raises lift up entire families and strengthen the very fabric of this county,” she added.

One man spoke of education as a long-term investment that builds strength across generations. He told the board that the teachers who changed his life – some of whom had since left the profession – had done so in part because of budgetary choices.

“The kids you’re helping probably won’t remember the numbers,” he told the board. “But they will remember the teachers who supported them.”

One of the final speakers, a mother of two daughters, said the proposed budget left a “deficit in safety, support, and stability.”

She said employees were already stretched thin and morale was low.

“Our children deserve adults who are present, stable, and supportive,” she said. “Not underpaid and burned out.”

The hearing was one of the last chances for people to weigh in publicly on the budget before the budget is finalized later this month. The Board of Commissioners is expected to decide on the fiscal 2025-2026 budget by the end of June.

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