Just in time to provide some emotional support for a $300 million school bond referendum that’s on the Nov. 3 ballot, on Thursday, Oct. 1, the Guilford County Board of Education and the Guilford County Board of Commissioners released a joint public statement in support of better facilities for the county’s school system.
The statement also endorses the proposed quarter-cent sales tax increase on the ballot – which is largely how the county is planning to pay the money back.
The statement was signed by Board of Education Chair Deena Hayes and Vice Chair Linda Welborn, as well as by Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Jeff Phillips and Vice Chair Alan Perdue.
“As community leaders and elected officials in Guilford County,” it reads, “we stand united to support our schools. The time is now. We must join together to ensure that we have a safe and welcoming environment for our students to learn, grow and prepare for college, career and life. Strong schools create strong communities. Strong communities create a strong economy and a strong economy prepares us for a successful future. Visit Schoolbondfacts.com to learn more.”
The statement pledges that the school bond funds will be used to pay for new school construction, renovations and to fund needed land purchases.
Many area officials are pledging that the sales tax money would be used for school purposes. A lot of them wanted language to that effect on the November ballot, however, state law does not allow that. Though future Boards of Commissioners can use that money however they want, many people feel that making a highly public commitment will assure those funds are used for their intended purpose. The current Board of Commissioners has passed a resolution to that effect, however current boards cannot bind future boards.
The sales tax increase is estimated to generate nearly $20 million a year if it passes.
The statement from school and county leaders promises that the money will go where it’s most needed.
“In keeping with the district’s Facility Master Plan and priorities,” it says, “school facilities in the worst condition will be addressed first, with some adjustments made for construction phasing and swing space requirements while buildings are undergoing renovations or new facilities are being built.”
When the state takes back control of our Education I will support additional taxes and bond referendums. While COMMON CORE and Teacher Unions are in charge of educating our future generations I will not support additional funds from any source.
over all the tax increases over the millennia, our schools continue to churn out academically weaker students by the year. All politically indoctrinated, of course.
If anyone believes that more money will solve this problem, they need to get on with the government – for job security.
They nick us for nickel and dimes every year, to enable their vast get/keep elected schemes, to justify their jobs, to hand out Manna to their people. No matter how much we give them, they ALWAYS want more. If they can’t manage the money they extort from us now, why should we give them anymore?
Soon to Coop-it.
School Board: “We want more money to indoctrinate your children to be good little drones.”
BOC: “We just want more money”
Know before you go! Vote for common sense. Reminds me of the segments NBC used to do before they started drinking the Kool-aid: “The Fleecing of America.”
Think about it… how can it cost more to operate schools when the buildings have been closed or mostly closed for months! Assigment lists could be mailed or picked up, classwork coukd be mailed or dripped off. Hundreds of millions of your tax dollars are spent on a very top heavy administration to prop up egos while the maintenance and repairs of your schools have suffered. That is the fault of the school board and the schools, not the taxpayers. The taxpaying sheep should not be funding new computers and tablets for every little socialist minion being indoctrinated by our dreadful government schools. Meanwhile, those of us who have chosen to live on less in order to homeschool our children with principles and decency are still paying for this mess. Meanwhile every other month the school board comes a begging for more. It’s never enough for the lib-tards. Our government only works when those who govern have a healthy and respectful fear of the masses. Our founding fathers never intended for it to be the masses who feared the government. If that strikes a nerve, good! Wake up, get up. and go vote! We as a people must vote for those who support our best interests and principles. Frankly, that might mean that over the next few decades we have more than two major parties. Neither of the two major parties we have now are what they were started out to be and we as a people should stop settling for the lesser of two evils.
What a nerve.
The most incompetent educatuon system in the Western World exists mostly as a jobs scheme for mostly African-American females.
And, as has become clear since Covid, as the state-run cafeteria and day care provider.
And don’t chant that it’s “for the children”. They are the victims.
Amen, Austin Morris. During the GCS board meetings they’ve cared more about ACES teachers possibly being laid off than than high schoolers going back to the classroom. I won’t vote for more school $$ until every last child is back in the classroom. Period.
What are you even saying? You think public elementary, middle, and high schools in the US are a “jobs scheme” for black women? What in the actual….?
Intouchwithyourself, when has the public school system ever had “every last child in the classroom”? Our system is not and never has been designed for that. We kick kids out all the time and it never was an issue for you then…. just saying.
Defund the schools.
What, we can pony up for sports stadiums, but because the schools are predominantly run by Democrats we can’t fund their repair? That’s nonsense. Now, I don’t trust government to spend our money wisely. I never have. But I also remember classrooms hitting 110 degrees on the second floor at Grimsley High back when I went there, so if the infrastructure of our schools needs overhauling, I for one am on board.
To quote the late great Ronald Reagan, “Trust, but verify” which is to say don’t just sign up and expect good decisions to be automatic. We need to demand transparency for all projects, and contactors must held accountable for keeping to the budget and time allowed for completion.
As for indoctrinating our kids, while that has always been there, a decent parent will counter anything the teachers are pushing by actually paying attention to what’s going on in their child’s world, then sitting them down and explaining why you disagree. This works for keeping kids off drugs too, btw.
Had they put the 1.6 billion dollar request on the ballot, I think in today’s Covid world, the answer would be “No”. But $20 million a year from the proposed tax is doable, and needed.