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GCS requests $1.7 billion school construction bond referendum

The Guilford County Board of Education discusses a proposal that hopes to address funding for repairs, upgrades and new infrastructure in the district during a meeting on October 19, 2021. KERI BROWN/WFDD

Guilford County Schools is hoping the community will help the district with unmet capital needs. 

The school board approved a resolution this week that requests county commissioners place a new school construction bond referendum before voters.

It's a big ask. The $1.7 billion proposal would provide improvements that would touch every school in the district. Those include technology and security upgrades, even new school buildings in some communities.

In 2020, Guilford County voters approved a $300 million bond referendum. The district says it was a great start, but it's only a dent in a much larger problem.

Ged O'Donnell is the Principal of Grimsley High School where some buildings on campus are more than 100 years old.

“These upgrades are long, long overdue," says O'Donnell. "Some of the examples that Grimsley faces each and every single day: We have crumbling walls and crumbling ceilings; we have a broken air conditioning system and broken heating.”

The district hopes that commissioners will approve placing the new school construction bond referendum on the ballot in March 2022. County commissioners are expected to discuss the proposal at an upcoming meeting in November.

The Guilford County Board of Education has also voted to continue its mask mandate for students and staff.

Under a state law passed in August, school boards that require face coverings have to vote at least once a month on their policy.

Guilford County Schools is the state's third-largest school system and serves more than 70,000 students.

*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.

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