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- News Archives: 2010-2017
Board of Education Makes Case for Funding Schools First
Funding schools first was the primary topic of discussion during a luncheon hosted by the Guilford County Board of Education today. The board invited federal, state and local government officials to its annual Legislative Luncheon to discuss critical issues facing public schools.
The board introduced its legislative agenda for 2011, which covers the areas of federal issues, state funding issues, school calendar, charter schools, tuition tax credits and vouchers, governmental immunity, public records, barriers to Minority and Women Business Enterprises and human resources.
At the federal level, board members called for full funding of No Child Left Behind and other federal requirements, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. At the state level, the board asked officials to extend the 1 percent temporary sales tax scheduled to expire on June 30 and use the estimated $1.1 billion the tax currently generates each year to help support public schools. Board members also asked officials to restore K-12 funding that has been cut since 2008 and to not make any further cuts.
"Our public schools serve the state's most vulnerable population," said Alan Duncan, board chairman. "We cannot simply continue cutting and assume that somehow our teachers and school-based staff will continue to do more with less and kids will continue to get the kind of education they need and deserve."
Since 2008-09, Guilford County Schools (GCS) has faced cuts or redirections that total $39.6 million. The N.C. Department of Public Instruction asked districts across the state to prepare for further budget cuts of 5 to 10 percent for 2011-12, which for GCS would mean an impact of $24.8 million to $37.2 million in additional cuts.
The district's budget currently consists of about 56 percent state funding, about 13 percent federal funding and almost 31 percent local funding. Federal funding increased during the past two years from stimulus dollars, but those funds expire at the end of the current fiscal year. GCS spends about 83 percent of its budget on salaries and benefits. Most of the district's personnel are school-based.
"When one out of five families in Guilford County live in poverty and more than one out of two students in our school system is in poverty, to say that times are tough really doesn't capture the scope of the challenge we face," said board member Kris Cooke. "At some point, however, our children and youth have to become more of a priority in our community and in our state. We must fund schools first."
Members of the board also urged officials to repeal the calendar legislation adopted by the General Assembly in 2004 that dictates when school begins and ends, maintain the existing cap on charter schools, oppose the use of public funds for tuition tax credits and vouchers, and fund programs to support Minority and Women Business Enterprises.
This year, the Legislative Luncheon was held in the media center at Jamestown Middle, which opened as a new school facility in August 2010 thanks to funding from the 2008 School Construction Bond.