The Guilford County Board of Education voted unanimously on Tuesday, May 21 to ask the Guilford County Board of Commissioners to put a quarter-cent sales tax hike referendum on the ballot for the November 2024 election. The Guilford County Board of Commissioners will approve that request – on what’s also likely to be a unanimous vote – and then the real work begins for school leaders, school advocates and all those who would like to see the sales tax increase in order to get more money to Guilford County Schools.
Earlier this month, Guilford County Manager Mike Halford brought his recommended budget to the commissioners, and, even though money for education and school bond debt takes up 45 percent of the county’s budget, Halford’s recommendation fell roughly $47 million short of the amount the school board had requested.
This will be the seventh time that the voters of Guilford County will have a chance to approve a self-imposed sales tax hike of one-quarter of a cent. The attempt has failed six times before; however, school officials and county officials are hopeful that, if the Board of Commissioners commits the estimated $25 million in annual proceeds to help pay the salaries of teachers and other school employees, county voters will be more likely to approve the measure.
If that happens, there could be more money for the schools in the next budget; however, right now, Guilford County Schools’ officials are none too happy with the manager’s recommended budget.
Last year, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners threw in some additional millions for the schools before adopting the final budget, but it’s not known if that will happen again this year.
Do these leaches ever give up? If the money actually went to help the children I might be somewhat sympathetic. But, having retired from government work myself, I have no doubt whatsoever that they could trim a LOT of fat and have a surplus to work with even if we gave them LESS money for the upcoming year.
Good for them…they aren’t going to get one.
ACCOUNTABILITY ACCOUNTABILITY ACCOUNTABILITY!
Until such time as the School Board, County Council, and City Council can prove they can educate children at or above grade level I will NEVER vote in favor of any additional funding for the schools.
Do your job and you’ll be rewarded accordingly but right now our Educators are dragging down generations of children, not educating them.
Have the schools cut the fat and waste. Reduce your bloated administration and freebie programs. Your job is to teach and educate, not baby sit. Year end grades consistently show the system is failing, miserably. Throwing more money is obviously not solving the problem.
Do you think that more taxes can teach our children anything but indoctrination?
Do you think our govt schools do anything but?
We are already up to our ears in taxes. No more taxes. Live within your means.
I believe they should get aggressive and run a ad blitz on TV and put prominent markers around the city asking for the citizen’s contribution noting that we have been recognized as the the 23 best city in the United States and that this is a small contribution to keep this city great and avoid the turmoil being experienced in Durham with there teachers if we want to win and retain top talent they need to be paid.
Have you sent them a personal contribution
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And I believe the coerced consumers of this incompetent government monopoly should get aggressive too.
These “educators” turn out the 27th or 28th ranked students in the World, with kids from India and Indonesia scoring much higher.
Let’s comply with their demands to be paid what they’re worth – and cut their pay to the 27th in the World.
Fair enough?
You wish.
Today big city, 18 and counting 18 and it’s not even June. You gotta be proud
You can ask…..
If the tax increase WILL go to the Schools themselves, NOT the administrators, them I’m in. If not, How about a pay cut for the paper pushers?
How about firing them?
At the ballot box.
Just Say No
This is just what the school board needs. With the additional funds the assistant principals could all have deputy assistant principals and deputy assistant principals could all have trainees. It never ends. Before asking for more money the school board should justify all the levels of management and management salaries in the school system.
School funding is one area where I think supporting new taxes isn’t a bad idea. Particularly if the board can show line item improvements where the money will be spent. One way for local governments to go about this and keep their citizens happy is to put a time frame on the tax increase, say 5 yrs, and then it sunsets. That way they can show you what was accomplished with the money before re-upping.
I know one thing is for sure, Page HS needs to be leveled and built new.
So will it be a temporary tax, like the Sales Tax “Food Tax Terry” Sanford imposed on groceries in 1961?
We are still paying Sales Tax on our food SIXTY-THREE YEARS LATER.
I offer the following link showing Guilford County Schools made the list of those using something called “restorative justice”. According to the article, “Thousands of US schools have embraced a new style of discipline that goes easy on troublemakers and puts students at risk, a parents’ rights group warns.”
It is my opinion that this is a list of shame. Apparently, our elected representatives, at least as a majority, feel otherwise. If they respect our teachers and students, why is this the case? If the Rhino has not presented its own article on this, maybe it should. Once again, only my opinion. (If opinions are like a** holes, then everybody needs one.)
Taxpayers need to consider what is happening in our system before giving more money just because they ask. If one is in favor of restorative justice, and heaven knows what else the board is implementing, perhaps you should vote for a tax increase.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13426175/map-schools-kids-danger-progressive-woke-justice-discipline.html
Again, why do we have the NC Education Lottery?? That money is supposed to go to the NC Schools. Why is it not? That’s millions a month. Where is the money going? Has Skippy found a way to pocket that money too? I just don’t understand why our leaders insist on raising our taxes when that lottery was created for the schools. We all know our tax money is not going to go to the schools. None of us are that dumb to think that. I’d have somebody checking into where that lottery money is going. Because somebody is pocketing a heck of a lot of money. The leaders of Greensboro and Guilford County are idiots. If they think pushing a sales tax hike is going to work on the people, it’s not.
Government is greed.
I’m an immigrant (legal). I come from a country where educators would talk about education whenever they were in the news.
In over 30 years here, I’ve never heard a single US educator talk about education.
All they talk about is money.
Cameras in classrooms? Everyone could then see how incompetent many Guilford County teachers are. Money will not fix incompetence. Contrary to Skippy’s pronouncements, Guilford County schools are a mess. When voters voted to combine city and county schools into one system, the question on the ballot was written to be so convoluted as to confuse voters to get the “yes” vote that Greensboro school administrators wanted. At that time, Greensboro schools were a mess, Guilford County schools were not. Rather than work to improve the city schools, the city folks decided that misery loves company, tricked the county voters, and brought the county schools down the same rathole. Skippy may try the same trick with the tax vote in November. You have been warned.