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Guilford County BOE Approves Budget Recommendation, Plan For Seniors

KERI BROWN/WFDD

The Guilford County Board of Education voted unanimously to approve the Superintendent's 2020/2021 budget recommendation on Tuesday. It doesn't include anticipated relief funding from the Cares Act.

The total proposed budget for the new academic year is more than $820 million. There's a large chunk for operating costs, capital improvements, and salary increases for personnel and bus drivers.

But the biggest priority is mitigating and recovering lost learning during the coronavirus pandemic. That includes investments in technology and devices and more academic support programs for students.

The district hopes some of that money will come from the federal K-12 Emergency Relief Fund.

Angie Henry, the Chief Financial Officer for Guilford County Schools, says it's still unclear how soon they'll receive the money and exactly how much they'll get.

“There's been some recent mandate from the Department of Education in Washington stating that these dollars are going to have to be split 100 percent with our private schools that request a share of these dollars," says Henry. "So at this point, we aren't sure what portion of the $20 million is going to come to Guilford County Schools.“

The district's budget recommendation now heads to the Guilford County Board of Commissioners. A public hearing is expected in June.

The GCS Board of Education also approved a plan to recognize graduating seniors at Tuesday's meeting. High schools will hold a drive-thru event for the Class of 2020. District officials say each student will also get a chance to exit their vehicle, so they can cross a stage to get a photo with the principal or other school leader.

They say the changes will ensure social distancing and gathering size requirements in Gov. Cooper's executive order.

Local police departments are working with the district to help with traffic concerns.

Superintendent Sharon Contreras says she's encouraging local neighborhoods to get involved with signs, decorations, and cheering graduates on from their porches.

The drive-through ceremonies will take place sometime in June. The district says those dates will be announced within the next week.

GCS officials say they still plan to have a traditional graduation ceremony for seniors later this year.

*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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