If you have a parking ticket you owe the city for, and you don’t have a lot of money but do have a lot of new school supplies sitting around, you’re in luck: The City of Greensboro is, for a limited time, accepting new and unwrapped school supplies as payment for parking tickets that are issued between August 1 and the last day of October, better known as Halloween.
Guilford County’s elected leaders have been trying to get the cities of Greensboro and High Point to help fund the giant cost of running Guilford County Schools each year, and, while city leaders have considered that idea a nonstarter, the City of Greensboro does like to use initiatives such as this one from time to time to show its support for education.
In order to pay your parking tickets in this way, all supplies have to be brought to the Greensboro Parking Office in the Melvin Municipal Office Building at 300 W. Washington St. in downtown Greensboro.
There’s a caveat, however. The citation holder making the payment must show a receipt to verify the donation or the value of the school supplies, which has to be equal to, or greater than, the fine.
So, you won’t save money; however, at least you’ll feel like you are doing a good deed instead of just paying the city a penalty for parking in the wrong spot or leaving your vehicle too long in one place.
This way, your money goes to help school kids and teachers – not the evil city parking people who are out to nab you at every turn.
If you want to pay using this more pleasant method, some suggested donations are as follows:
- Glue Sticks and Tape
- No. 2 Pencils and Colored Pencils and Sharpeners
- Spiral/Composition Notebooks
- Copy, Graph and Construction Paper
- Arts and Crafts Supplies
- 2-Pocket Folders
- Scissors – child and adult
- Post-It Notes and Index Cards
- Permanent Markers
- Binder Clips and Staplers
There’s also another way you can support the schools through your City of Greensboro parking fines. You can make a cash donation online directly to the Guilford Education Alliance Teacher Supply Warehouse instead of paying.
Donations to the warehouse must be made within 30 days of your parking violation.
(Handicapped parking violations aren’t covered by this program.)
The Teacher Supply Warehouse allows Guilford County School teachers to shop for items at no cost up to four times a year. Since 2020, the City of Greensboro’s school supply collection efforts have raised more than $10,000 in donations for area teachers. Last year, the program filled more than 4,000 shopping orders and distributed almost $600,000 in free school supplies.
“Guilford County’s elected leaders have been trying to get the cities of Greensboro and High Point to help fund the giant cost of running Guilford County Schools each year…”
I realize I’m old, but what happen to students purchasing their own supplies? Does this means that parents don’t have to go buying these things because the school system is going to be supplying them? And if they still have to buy the supplies, is the schools going to require the students to give up their supplies so they can be “redistributed” as have been done before?
The key phrase here is “…help fund the giant cost of running Guilford County Schools each year…” The system has millions of taxpayer dollars already. They aren’t paying the teachers what they’re worth, but the Administration is so bloated and yet they go to the Commissioners demanding more and more. How about showing some improvement in the quality of education by raising the standards, then ask for more money,
I realize there are families out there that need help with getting what their children need and I have no problem with providing them assistance, quit using them as an excuse to bleed taxpayers dry.
Conservative members of the Board, how about at least speaking out with your nay vote instead of just going along.
And by the way, has anyone ever payed less then $100+ for even a simple parking ticket?
Here’s a weird proposal;
•Enforce laws on the book.
•Follow through by forcing violators to pay ACTUAL fines or sentences that have been passed down by legal authorities.
I know, crazy idea. Making scofflaws pay for their crimes instead of progressive pipe dream comparable restitution.
Wow Joelfarm what a novel idea. We should start with SPEED limit signs or STOP signs Why have signs or laws if they are not enforced. Just like the STUPID signs at intersections that say NO STANDING or SITTING they are never enforced. Why bother with them
Joelfarm, how dare you speak such blasphemy about the All Knowing, All Wise, All Powerful Greensboro High Council