Stokesdale Mayor Pro Tem Derek Foy spoke at a Guilford County Board of Education meeting last week and he argued that schools in the northwestern part of the county are being shortchanged when it comes to school funding.
Foy cited statistics that suggested, when compared to schools in other parts of the county, the schools in his area weren’t getting their fair share.
Foy began by saying that he was a “proud parent” of a student in the county’s school system.
He said he came to his conclusion after reviewing the most current cost-per-pupil numbers from the school system’s website.
Foy told the board that it was difficult to wade through the data but, “after closely examining the numbers,” it became clear to him.
He ran through a list of schools in northwest Guilford County and said they were funded at 23 percent less on average than other county schools.
“Northwest Middle School is the lowest funded middle school,” Foy said. “Northwest High School is by far the lowest funded school in the county – it’s not even close.”
Foy said he realized that many schools across Guilford County were overcrowded and in need of repairs, but he added that that doesn’t mean schools in the county’s northwest shouldn’t get what they deserve.
“It really concerns me,” he said, noting, “That money comes from taxpayers.”
School board officials usually don’t speak in response to speakers from the floor at meetings. However, Guilford County Schools Superintendent Sharron Contreras did address Foy’s comments.
“So much misinformation goes out to the public,” Contreras said.
“What you see are Title 1 funds,” she said.
Title 1 funding is federal money that’s directed at low-income students who, due to economic hardships, face disadvantages in the public school system.
“The board is not allocating northwest schools with less money,” she said.
Contreras named a string of zip codes – 27408, 27310, 27358, 27455, 27235 – and said, “Those are the wealthiest zip codes in the Piedmont Triad area.”
Sharon Contreras Feraro Mondale wouldn’t know her arse from a hole in the ground.
Curious to know the difference between dudley and Northwest Guilford funding
And isn’t Contreras’s comment revealing? She’s saying that because those zip codes are higher income areas, it’s okay to underfund those schools. What outrageous effrontery. Perhaps she’s shared notes with Skip Alston who once described NW Guilford as “lily white”. Is that another reason to shortchange Northwest schools, I wonder…
And here’s another point you won’t see on WFMY or the fawning “What’s Right with Our Schools” propaganda series on FOX8. Northwest Guilford high School is consistently the best performing high school in the state, academically – despite being chronically underfunded. The decrepit old brown trailers needed replacing a decade ago, but they’re still an eyesore and an embarrassment. So… the answer to the dreadful academic performance of students in other parts of Guilford County is clearly not more money.
We will hear a lot of wailing about the need for more money for schools as people like Contreras and Alston sell their $1.7 BILLION proposed bond “for the children”.
Be sure to vote against this obscene rip-off of current and future Guilford County taxpayers.
Your property taxes are going up by double digits this year. If that bond passes you will see your property tax bill double over coming years.
Just Say No – to the bloated incompetent government schools.
Title 1 schools are about income. Not race. There are several title 1 schools that are ‘lily white’ as well. In low income areas, kids tend to have less supervision and are more likely to act out at school; therefore, more difficult to teach. The additional funds go to pay teachers extra to teach in these schools where the job is more difficult in an attempt to reduce turnover of teachers. The Teach America program also was used to incent teachers to work in these more difficult schools. These schools also have a much higher rate of free lunch and breakfast so they just make those meals available to all which means the schools operate at a high cost.
But I promise, these title one schools are not BETTER OFF than schools in the NW region where kids have much stronger parental support. Don’t make this about race.
Don’t make this about race?
You just did.
Say what??? You win this week’s award for deflection and digression. That’s what the Left does when confronted with reality. Pathetic.
Just explaining Title 1 schools. I can type slower if that helps with your disability of being a nutter?
F-A. The Dems want to cause as much damage as they can before the mid-terms.
The mid-terms don’t matter here republicans can’t win in guilford county.
Stokesdale’s zip is 27357. Not on her list. So where’s the money
Good point.
What is Sharon even talking about? There are 3 schools in 27408 that are title 1.