Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston, who will be renamed to that top position for another year later this week, is already thinking hard about 2024.
One thing he’s focused on is finding ways to convince the leaders of the cities of Greensboro and High Point, as well as the county’s towns, to help pay for the enormous cost of running Guilford County Schools.
Alston first brought up the idea six months ago to break the ice, and now – as he’s putting together his agenda for 2024 – he said that would be an area of focus.
Alston said the cities and towns benefit from quality schools and he added that the school system’s needs have been outgrowing Guilford County’s ability to fund them.
He said he understands that school funding has traditionally been handled by the county, not the cities, but added that, in recent years, Guilford County government has been helping the cities with services that have always been outside the purview of the county.
“The county didn’t used to be directly involved with homelessness,” he said, adding that, now, Guilford County is intimately involved in that challenge and has given both Greensboro and High Point a lot of funding towards projects in those cities to address homelessness.
The chairman said the county is helping out the cities with other services as well.
“And I know the people in the cities pay county taxes too,” he said.
One major objection from municipal leaders is that the residents who live in cities and towns already help fund the schools through the county taxes they pay.
Alston said the county is already straining hard to do all it can for the schools.
“About 47 percent of our budget goes to the schools for operations and school debt payment, and we are giving them over $300 million a year for operations, but the schools need more,” he said.
Earlier in the year, Alston suggested that Greensboro and High Point could each provide the county “$5 million or $6 million” every year for the schools, and he said the towns could give something as well.
Alston said this week that he had spoken with Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan regarding the idea and he said that the mayor didn’t jump at the idea.
“I don’t think she’s in favor of it and I didn’t expect her to be,” he said. “I didn’t expect her to be jumping up and down saying the city is eager to give the county money.”
He also said, however, that that could change if the commissioners appeal to the city residents to support the move.
He said the extra funding could help raise teacher pay and increase the pay of the lowest-paid school employees, and he noted that those are very popular causes.
Earlier this year, Alston encouraged school officials and other members of the public to put more pressure on state legislators as well to give more money to school systems.
Skip stop stealing the taxpayers money for your worthless downtown money pit, yes I’m talking about the one that was going to be such an economic engine for Greensboro. Tell the truth Skip and let the Lord love you, how many paying people actually come through the doors on a no normal week, 10, 15 , 20 maybe. I can’t wait to see how much extra the jail project will cost us because of your foolish RACIST attitude. We already know what Samets number was to finish the project let’s see what the final numbers will be.
So let me see if I got this straight, Skip. People inside city limits already pay county taxes to run the schools. You want us to pay additional taxes, through the city, to run those same schools? Taxes that people outside the city limits will not have to pay? And this is on top of the huge increase in tax revenue this year after you kept property tax rates the same after massive increase in property valuations? I just want to make sure I understand your train of thought here, Skip.
Keep on voting for the same crowd while expecting better results!
Although Skip acknowledged us city residents pay county taxes too – he has for years behaved as if Greensboro is NOT in Guilford County. If we pay the same county taxes as the county residents, how is it fair our city taxes can be used for a county budget item? Maybe we can get Skip to fund county-wide loose leaf collection! THAT I could vote for. He wants to claim Greensboro benefits from the county schools system. Well, ok. County residents benefit from the many amenities located in Greensboro.
If we gave the schools every dollar we have they would still want more. And they would still deliver an inferior product.
Oh, for God’s sake Skip, our taxes already fund the schools. If you want more, appeal to the NC Education Lottery.
Maybe Skip ought to be looking at test scores and the school curriculums. I took a look and they are not great, especially for blacks. Maybe see what other states like Mississippi are doing.
A billion dollar bond issue, the NC State Education lottery and Skippy wants even more money? How about some real results for the money we’re spending now?
Half the revenue generated in NC goes toward 3fucation and what do ee get gor all that money? We get kids that can’t resd, can’t tell you what a simple declarative English sentence is, explain simple terms of grammar or make change without a calculator or cash register.
If Skippy thinks he’s fooling anyone it can only be ascribed to his government education….
So Skip decides that the homeless issue is a County problem and thus every city citizen should pony up more money for schools?
“Highly Illogical “
I thank God every day that my family and I don’t live in Guilford County anymore!!
And by the way “Mr.” Alston, if the Guilford County school system didn’t have so many administrators, they might not have to beg for money every year!
Why are schools always begging for more money, especially when positive results are not being delivered? There is something systemically wrong with the Guilford County schools. Is the school administration too large and draining money from the system? Are hiring practices based on qualifications, not the color of the applicant’s skin color; nor merely to give someone a job? Who really is minding the school system? Certainly not members of the school board. Skip Alston as well as his buddy, Deena Hayes, believe that all that is required to fix the school system is to throw money around. What ails the Guilford County Schools is not a lack of funds, but poor decisions. For example, the new school that is proposed for the Colfax area is not needed. Yet, millions of dollars were spent acquiring the land. Imagine the final cost to build the unnecessary school. Why build a new school? Because it is easier to throw money at a problem rather than to find a solution. Especially when that money rolls in from taxpayers. Thank God Skip Alston can’t print money like the federal government.
It seems that a full audit of Guilford County Schools would be a good idea. Ask the NC legislature to pay for it out of the lottery that was supposed to be a panacea to funding NC schools.
As far as county money that goes to the homeless, that is Skippy’s choice, not a requirement. If Skippy thinks the debt repayment is a burden now, wait until more bonds are sold and the chickens come home to roost.
The open sewer of incompetence, indifference and indoctrination that is the government school system is also a black hole for taxpayer money.
A “popular cause” would be to reduce taxes, eliminate city and county pet projects which are wasted tax dollars with no accountability. How about reduction in both city and county employees? Both city and county love bigger governments which tax payers get to foot the bill. How about the reduction of school management positions? How many assistant principals and assistants to the assistant principal are needed? I believe there is alot of dead wood in both city and county governments plus the school system. All the top heavy management in both government and schools has not reduced taxes or waste nor has it educated the students. I believe the Y/E test proved students are weak in math and reading. I don’t believe money is the answer. But wait, this all sounds to familiar. “More money .” I must pinch myself….this town and county are run by democrats. Just call us little Washington.
These are GUILFORD COUNTY schools. Not locales.
What about all the money saved when the County wasn’t providing services to the homeless?
What about the ARPA funding? How much of that went to the school system?
I’m confused about how the County continually forgets their role. Maybe get better at budgeting your money, Skip
.
Sounds like the Democrats can’t handle the county government!
Time for a house cleaning!
Skip next time you give your International museum (not really sure why it’s called international)and the Dudley boosters club taxpayer dollars think about the school system
Why were the other school boosters not given the same amount
I had a pithy comment on this one, but everyone has pretty much covered it already.
Our rapacious local govt always wants more, no matter how much they extort from us. I just paid my property tax bill, knowing they are going to waste most of it on their phoney-baloney get (re)elected schemes. Throwing money at schools will not improve education one bit. Just teach our children how to think, not what to think.
Name something our govt does well.
Our government wastes money and engages in racial discrimination VERY well, so there’s that . . .
U R right! But what they are doing right is by them, not for us.
One solution is to stop sending them any more money. Any suggestions on that one?
So more money for Guilford County Schools. Didn’t we already get stuck with a big fat school bond and 30%+ county taxes for this? I have a few better suggestions. First, stop gerrymandering school districts for Title 1 graft. If you want wealthy taxpayers to move here, education is the hand that rocks the cradle. Greensboro could attract more young families moving here and paying taxes if they would stop that nonsense and focus on attracting better students by way of families moving here. Why live in Greensboro which has mediocre schools where crime, theft, fighting and discipline problems are the norm? One could live outside of Guilford County which offers lower taxes, less crime, better schools and safer neighborhoods. Next, get rid of the newcomers’ schools and funding the interpreters and associated transportation. Why are we draining resources for our citizens to fund refugees and a large illegal alien community. Where did I sign up to get punked for paying for people who have enough to send remittances home but don’t pay for the services they use? They winge about wanting more services but pay little if anything in taxes. If they want to be part of our community, they can have some skin in the game. Lastly, I want to comment about taxes paying for county schools. I own a farm in Northwest Guilford county. The schools take in $0 title 1 money and are not a drain on Guilford County school taxes. In fact, I pay more taxes on that farm in the county than the taxes I pay to live in the city because I split time between each. Likewise for my brother who pays the taxes for my parents’ house in the county. So people, don’t be disillusioned that people outside of the city are not paying just as much if not more. We need elected officials who are not on the graft with their pet projects i.e. museums, campuses housing migrants, municipal buildings, de-annexing pay-to-play etc. This is not that hard to set Greensboro on a trajectory to be a good place to live. Unfortunately, it seems our commissioners at mayor prefer it to be a blight-ridden dump.
Skip you must have no conscience and kohonnies the size Texas. You are asking to the cities and towns to put in additional money for the schools even though all county citizens already pay county and city taxes. How about you give back all the money that the cities and county have given you over the years for your pet project. The voters voted down a plan a few years ago you put out to fund your pet project. Yet YOU found a way to get 100k of taxpayer dollars for your pet project anyway without any input from taxpayers. Give back all those dollars to the school system. You are a slime ball piece of dog doo that I scrap off my shoes You have a special place in Hades waiting on you and you won’t be driving a 100k vet either.
Amen!! Skip manages to find ways to funnel money into his pet projects which truly means he’s found ways to funnel money into his personal pocket. Everyone knows Skippy is a crook, a liar and a thief. He forgets conveniently that the NC Lottery was created to fund NC schools!! Taxpayers pay enough into these schools as it is and our schools have low results. Not just city schools either. Get the money from the lottery!! Leave taxpayers alone. Skippy doesn’t want this money for the schools, he wants it for himself and I guarantee he will end up with it one way or the other.
I think it’s past time to shut the money pit museum down permanently and sell that property to a company who will go in there and hire employees and earn money for Guilford County. Nobody cares about that museum at all. Everybody knows the history and everybody supports that but nobody supports the museum. It’s a joke and it’s a waste of time and space. Space that a company could use to put money into Guilford County. We all know what skip did a few years ago with money from that museum. How it mysteriously ended up in his pocket and he was told to pay it back. Skip must need money really bad so he’s going after the school money. Somebody needs to get together and vote these crooks out of office. Skip is the number one crook! I wish I lived in his district because I would certainly file to run against him. Everyone on our board needs to go and bring in all new people!
If you notice on Skip Alston’s website, Skippy’s personal “achievements” are listed. However, for education “no information available.” It would seem reasonable to expect that the Chairman of Guilford County Commissioners would want to laud his personal educational achievements, if any, especially since he is the one hounding taxpayers for more money for schools. It would seem reasonable to surmise that Skippy’s push for more money is not about providing a better education for Guilford County students but for some other purpose only known to Skippy and his buddy, Deena Hayes-Greene, Chairman of the Guilford County School Board and Managing Director of the Racial Equity Institute (REI), whatever that is. If one will notice, there is always racial inequality talked about ad nauseam, but no concrete information provided as fact, just talk, talk, talk.