The last time the Guilford County Board of Commissioners put a school bond referendum on the ballot – in 2020 – the referendum consisted of $300 million.
Now, nearly two years later, the board just put a whopping $1.7 billion school bond on the March 8, 2022 ballot with a partly line vote. The board made the move at its Thursday, Dec. 2 meeting, and now it’s up to the voters.
The seven Democratic commissioners voted yes, while the two Republicans voted no.
The county has also already started the process of selling the massive bond referendum to the county’s voters. About five minutes after the board approved the bond referendum, the county’s public relations arm put out a press release touting the needs of the schools and the virtues of approving the $1.7 billion bond. Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Skip Alston and Commissioner Carly Cooke had already been generating publicity for the effort a day earlier by touring Walter Hines Page High School with local media and highlighting the school’s dilapidated conditions.
In October, the Guilford County Board of Education approved a similar resolution calling for the money.
In North Carolina, counties are responsible for funding school capital needs, and county officials have been arguing hard that issuing school bonds will be the cheapest way to raise the money to fund the needs. They argue that, by paying with bond money, county taxpayers will save as much as $30 million over other forms of financing.
Opponents of the school bonds argue that the schools haven’t spent money well in the past and say that it’s irresponsible to hand over $1.7 billion to the school system.
While Commissioners Justin Conrad and Alan Perdue both voted against the $1.7 billion move, both said they support county schools but argued that the school bond referendum for next year should be a more palatable amount. In the past, the two commissioners have argued that school capital funding should be done in stages as the money is needed rather than in one giant lump sum. The $1.7 billion in bonds won’t be sold all at once, but will be sold to fund projects over time.
$1,700,000,000.00…… Wow. What chutzpah.
That’s $24,926 per student, and they’ll claim – don’t they always? – that “it’s for the children”. Great! I look forward to each kid getting a check for 25 Grand. Right?
That would be a big ‘ol nope. NC public schools has much bigger issues money. Fix those first.
The commissioner need to push the sales tax increase as way for all citizens to help pay
for the bonds.
No, no, no! We DO NOT need any increase in the tax burden. They need to learn to live within their means, like everyone else.
All this is just to entrench the LEFT’s control of the schools, the Leftist school board, and the Leftist curriculum.
So when to our children start spying on their parents & family members?
Ha ha ha ha and maybe SANTA will bring me peace on earth
Really?
Do any of you have kids in the Guilford county school system? I do, I have a student at Page high . This school is in much needed repair. From the heating and air conditioning, ceiling tiles missing and showing wires. Locker room they can’t even use because they are unsafe … Would you want your child in this environment.
Well where has all the money gone, then?
Long time passing….
I went to GCS 1-12 grade as did my brothers and sister all the same issues you mentioned only we had no a/c we survived and thrived graduated 74 in our class 43 went on to finish college I don’t really see money for schools as the issue it’s more of a breakdown of family and values in our society. We start by putting prayer back in schools saying the Pledge of Allegiance each morning and giving our teachers the support they need to take control of their classroom allowing them to teach children without interruption from trouble makers
How long have you been concerned about the needed repairs at Page HS? Have you ever questioned your CC to produce financial accountability about the previous $300ml received –or for that matter any other previous millions. New taxes are imposed on all Guilford Co. citizens every time bonds are sold to investors. It’s high time they account for the money they keep squeezing from taxpayers. And as a parent with a child in any school that is in need of repairs, what could you and other parents do?