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$1.7B bond referendum for Guilford County Schools will be on spring ballot

The Guilford County Board of Commissioners meeting on December 2, 2021. KERI BROWN/ WFDD

Guilford County voters will consider a major bond referendum during the March primary election to address capital needs in the school district. The Board of Commissioners approved adding it on the ballot by a vote of 7 to 2 at a Thursday meeting.

District leaders say the $1.7 billion bond would touch every school in the system. Plans call for new technology, security upgrades, new school construction, and renovations at many sites. Guilford County officials say the pandemic has shown how widespread the aging infrastructure problem is and that action is urgent.

Failing HVAC systems have led to early dismissals at some schools. Others have leaking roofs, cracked walls and plumbing issues. 

A study found that more than 50 percent of district schools were rated as being in poor or unsatisfactory condition.

Guilford County Commissioners Chairman of the Board Melvin "Skip" Alston addressed some commissioners' concerns that the amount of money is excessive and a burden to taxpayers.

“We can hide behind the fact that we can't, that this is a lot of money, but this is just a down payment on the neglect that we've had in the last 50 years of our schools,” said Alston.

Guilford County voters will also consider another measure on the March ballot for a quarter-cent sales tax. If approved, that money would be used to help offset the cost of paying back that bond and possibly increases in property taxes.

In 2020, commissioners placed a $300 million school bond on the ballot, a smaller amount than the district had hoped for. Voters passedthat measure. Construction on several of those projects is already underway.

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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