Public Radio for the Piedmont and High Country
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Community Members Push For More Local Education Funding

Guilford County Schools is the third largest school district in North Carolina. KERI BROWN/WFDD

A group of community members held a rally in front of the Guilford County Detention Center on Wednesday evening to urge more local funding for the public school system.

They want to see funding budgeted by the county for vacant positions at the jail directed to Guilford County Schools.

County Manager Michael Halford recently presented his budget recommendation for the new fiscal year. It totals more than $670 million. It calls for freezing the current property tax rate and adding several positions, including a new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager. 

It also provides an increase for education.

Guilford County Schools would receive more than $13 million in additional funds, but it's less than what the board of education is asking for.

District leaders say the extra money is needed to help pay for teacher supplements and to maintain or establish a $15-an-hour base rate for bus drivers and school nutrition workers, among other things.

Casey Thomas is with a community organization called Guilford For All. They started a petition to urge commissioners to fully fund the district's budget request.

“Guilford County Schools remain one of the largest employers in our area, and so if one of the largest employers in our areas is also paying poverty wages, it's devastating our economy.”

A public hearing on the recommended budget will be held on June 3. Guilford County Commissioners are expected to adopt a new budget by the end of next month.

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.

Donate