If you think the price of eggs has been increasing, you should see what inflation is doing to the Guilford County Schools construction projects – many of which were conceived when inflation and interest rates were next to nothing.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the bank after the COVID-era when the county’s voters, in 2020, approved a $300 million school bond referendum and a couple of years later when those same voters approved a historic $1.7 billion school bond referendum.
The funny thing that happened is that the cost of just about everything related to construction went up and so did interest rates. Which meant that the school system projects started to come in more costly than predicted, and, simultaneously, the county realized it would have to pay more on the giant debt’s interest than it planned because interest rates are now higher than predicted when the bonds passed.
So, it’s bad news all around.
School costs and construction priorities will be a part of the discussion when a group of Guilford County commissioners – including Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Skip Alston – meets with Board of Education members and school administrators and facilities staff at a meeting between the county and the schools next week.
The Guilford County Joint Capital / Facilities Committee has scheduled a meeting for Wednesday, April 24 at 3 p.m. in the large John McAdoo Conference Room on the third floor of the Truist Bank Building at 201 W. Market St. in Greensboro.
Guilford County voters approved the $2 billion for the school board to use, but, in order to spend a dime of that money, the commissioners must approve the expenditures.
Alston said he feels the county commissioners are providing good oversight on how the school board is spending the money, but he added that he’s been alarmed by the increasing cost estimates he hears when the two bodies meet, as they will next week.
“I don’t like the numbers I see,” Alston said, adding that he doesn’t feel the mounting expenses are the fault of the school system, but instead, he said, are part of the current macroeconomic landscape.
“We ask a lot of questions to make sure they’re doing all they can to keep cost down, and I think they are,” Alston said. “I think they are very transparent when they answer our questions.”
Alston also said the Joint Capital/Facilities Committee meetings are a good chance for the two bodies to communicate about issues and dig into what can be done to address rising costs.
The chairman said this week that county residents need to understand that the $2 billion won’t be enough to address all the school system’s needs and that more school bond referendums will be needed.
While the county commissioners do attempt to provide oversight on the construction expenditures, this current board is almost certainly more school-system-friendly than any Board of Commissioners in the history of Guilford County government.
Not all that many years ago the angry school board would come close almost yearly to threatening to sue the Board of Commissioners for not adequately funding the schools – and now the county spends almost half of the county’s budget providing the school system with just about everything it requests.
The current Board of Commissioners includes a teacher in the school system, two former Guilford County school board members, a commissioner who’s done significant volunteer work in the school system for a decade, and a chairman who once said during a commissioners meeting, after the school system got voter approval for $2 billion in bond money, that the schools really, “need 10 times that much.”
(Though Alston later acknowledged that was a slip of the tongue and the school system will not actually need $200 billion.)
The joint committee meeting is open to the public and will also be shown via Zoom at https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1611870474.
Financing of public education consistently spends more money for administration than actually for students. Add to that the dismal performance and outcome of said education with a topping of ever increasing indoctrination of our youth with the insane social conflict issues that we see every day. Add to these facts that politicians and shysters (redundant), promised the North Carolina Education Lottery would be the panacea to secure educational expenditures forever more.
While it has taken 20 years to show this was a lie, congratulations to progressives for this latest example of how to fool the taxpayer while at the same time creating a population of gaming addicts.
Here is a crazy thought.
Let’s go back to the basics, the 3 R’s, Home Economics, Gym/Health, Shop, Athletics. Then let’s stop building schools that resemble high end hotels. Rather then building new buildings, look into the possibility of renovating existing buildings.
Then let’s start going to through the teacher/staff roster and ask a simple question…how do you and your job DIRECTLY affect the education and learning experience of all students. If they don’t, terminate them.
Finally, are all the students legal citizens or legal aliens. If not, why are taxpayers, people who work to try to support their families and make a better life for their children being FORCED to support ILLEGAL aliens who are breaking the law. Note I say ILLEGAL aliens, not those who have entered this country by following the rules.
I’m going to be called a bigot and other unflattering names, but I don’t care. People that know me know that is B.S. My reply to you is simple, you don’t sign my paycheck and you don’t do my evaluation report.
It will never be enough Skip. But I would have liked to have seen further comment on what you feel is responsible for the ” current macroeconomic landscape. ” Possibly some prudent caution until we return to a more advantageous economy is on order. Say, after the elections?
Pretty story but all BS. Skip, commissioners and schools don’t give a rip about your tax dollars and they will have no problem taxing you alot more. Keep voting the way you do and you will have the same waste and high taxes. For you who voted for the bloat…enjoy.
“The current macroeconomic climate” is a result of this administration’s policy of exponentially exploding the money supply whilst simultaneously increasing borrowing so much that it is now the Federal Government’s number one source of income.
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Gee, do you think all that might lead to inflation…?
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And how’s the whole Bidenomics thing working out for you personally?
Republicans have increased the deficit spending even more than democrats in modern history. So much for fiscal conservatism. Note Trump plans to cut taxes yet again for his wealthy friends with no plan ok cutting spending.
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First statement general and vague, but clearly factually incorrect.
Second statement pure speculation and conjecture.
Stripping away the niceties, you’re just spouting bull**it
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Trump said at several rallies he was going to cut taxes for both individuals and corporations.
Reagan 1.6
Bush Sr. 1.2
Bush Jr 4.2
Trump 6.7
Obama 7.6
Biden 2.5
Do the math.
Forgot Clinton’s 1.2
Nobody even knows what all that crap means, buddy.
Are you drunk? You sorry little sod.
Awwww, poor Austin can’t see context across multiple comments. I will hold your hand and walk you up to the comment about deficit spending. Those are deficit spending figures by President.
Feel better buddy? (virtual pat on head)
Supply & demand, greed and fear, run the price of things up and down. Inflation runs prices up.
Inflation is nothing more than an increase in the money supply. There are no other causes. Example: Our govt spends MUCH more than it takes in as revenue. The only way they can pay the bills is to print more money.
The effect of inflation is the transfer wealth from downward to upward. The poor are impoverished, then the middle class, and then the remaining few who don’t have a clue.
Keep voting yourself a free lunch, and that’s all you will have.
All of you that voted for this, all of you who didn’t think this through, and all of you who probably voted for Uncle Joe, thanks for the added burden for my children and grandchildren.
And now Trump wants to further spike costs of goods with tariffs across the board yet Biden reduced deficit spending and wants to restore tax rates on businesses record incomes to even further reduce deficit spending. I think Biden’s plan makes more since than the disaster if Trump’s economic plan is enacted.
Hi Chris I’m sure you know the difference between reducing the deficit and reducing the debt. But it’s easy for Biden to reduce the overspending compared to Trump when you don’t figure out the covid effect in 2020. Just as Biden touts job creation when he is actual comparing things to the shutdowns of March 2020. But be careful when you raise taxes on business. There’s lots of strategies for a business to recover from government suffocation lol. Plus the effect on the economy as a whole. You know if you want more of something you subsidize it and if you want less of something you tax it. Best not to tax an economic recovery out of existence
I look at Trump decreasing taxes without offsets to reduced spending amd adding over 2Trilliom to the national debt before covid as a repeat of Reagans failed economic policies. His recent Trump speeches he says he wants to do it again plus add tariffs across the board. So more failed policy.
Yet Biden admin has brought recovery from spike in inflation without a recession. I highly doubt Trump would have had the patience to let the fed accomplish that impressive result.
So yup, I think Biden has better mindset on economy than Trump does.
I’m thinking compared to the situation in 2020 the Biden administration could have remained in the cellar and experienced a recovery. Most of Bidens programs are a detriment to an active economy. At least for tge country as a whole maybe not so much for DC. It seems we can agree to disagree again.
Most programs is a rather vague statement. If you say his student loan repayment programs, we agree. But infrastructure program is very positive and overdue. If you say the immigration reform Bill the conservatives killed, we disagree. It was long overdue. I also support his desire to restore taxes on business and wealthy individuals earning over 400k per year.
What would you suggest is his worst program?
The border without question.
I think this thread initially was about the school bonds lol. But Chris in all honesty how can you consider Biden for a second term? The man can barely talk and barely walk. The documents investigation led to the conclusion he was not up to being able to handle prosecution and they dropped the charges. What’s going on is elder abuse in front of the whole nation. I’m looking for the big switcheroo this summer.
But you be you.
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Oh, what classic deflection and digression!! “But… but… Trump!”
You’re pathetic.
It is election time. Trump vs Biden if you hadn’t noticed. So yup. Time to compare and debate the two.
But you be you.
Why don’t you discuss the issue at hand instead of deflecting to ” Trump bad” all the time?
You are such a Democrat. You need to come to terms with who you are, Chris.
You are not a Republican. You are not a Republican who has seen the light. You are a closet Democrat.
I suggest you seek out psychological counseling.
Who knows what other aspects of your id you are trying to deny?
Sadly we only have a choice of two candidates. Trump is really really really really bad is actually why a lot of people will vote for Biden. Same as 2020. My father has been a strong conservative for his entire 82 years. Voted for Trump in 2016 because of SCOTUS. Sat out presidential election in 2020 given Trumps rhetoric around COVID (he is a retired MD). For 2024 will be the first time he votes for a democrat for the white house as he sees Trump as a danger to democracy given his big lie about 2020 election, his handling of Jan 6th, etc, etc etc
Well isn’t that cute?
You just do as Daddy does.
Let’s pay this down and pass another 400 million for facilities updates teacher pay support staff pay
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You work in the school system, don’t you BigCity?
6-Ps
Piss Poor Planning=Piss Poor Performance
Military saying that goes back at least to Viet Nam (Viet Nam veteran told me this one).
Nothing changes……….The numbers keep getting bigger though…….
Would comment, but everything that’s posted is the truth and nothing but the truth.
Wait till I the election is over and interest rates are lowered. By voting the Democrats out nationwide we can begin to see a more sane atmosphere for building and running the school and everything else,
There is no need for a brick and mortar school in Guilford county. Students do all their work on Chromebook now. This can easily be done at home remotely. We no longer need the buildings.
Guilford County Schools headed to Federal Court Hearing in Winston Monday 4/22 10:30 because they continue to push new unneeded school building in Colfax encroaching on tax payers constitutional rights while doing it. Sounds like a lot of wasted tax payer money….
The primary reason for the “now the county spends almost half of the county’s budget providing the school system with just about everything it requests” is the friendly connection between Deena Hayes and Skip Alston. Alston counted on the sales tax increase to help repay the borrowed money from selling bonds. The sales tax increase was voted down, so now a scramble to decide on what to do to right the ship. In the 1960s, segregation was blamed for poor performance in Black schools, while White schools were doing fine during segregation. Schools have long since been desegregated. Now poor performance at public schools is blamed on a lack of money. Money will not and cannot fix the public school problems.
The US has the most costly and least competent education system in the Western World.