GREENSBORO, N.C. — The North Carolina primaries are less than two months away. You'll be able to vote for several races such as the mayoral and the congressional primary. You also have a chance to vote for a bond allocating $1.7 billion to Guilford County Schools.
The district said it needs the money to repair schools in poor condition. Along with the bond referendum, you can also vote on whether to approve a 0.25% sales tax increase.
GCS Superintendent Dr. Sharon Contreras, President of the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro H. Walker Sanders and Rev. Dr. Joe Blosser, Executive Director of the Center for Community Engagement at High Point University, joined 2 Wants to Know to explain both ballot items more in-depth.
The district said a 2019 study conducted jointly by the School Board and Guilford County Commissioners found more than half of the schools in the district were in poor or unsatisfactory condition. It concluded the school system needed more than $2 billion to make all repairs.
Contreras said the average age of a GCS school is 55 years. If voters approve the bond, the money would fund three new schools, rebuild 18, and fully renovate 13, according to GCS.
Contreras compared years of deferred maintenance in schools to someone not making renovations on their homes after decades of living in it. "One in six Americans are in a school building every single day," Contreras said. "It touches every single one of us."
Contreras said passing the bond will help the state of GCS schools, but the funds will do more than make repairs. She said there's at least $363 million allocated for safety and technology updates to each school in the district and more funds are expected to be added. Sanders said the bond extends beyond schools. He said it's important to make sure the workforce has the necessary preparations to succeed. "This $1.7 billion investment is critical for us to sustain the economic success we've just recently enjoyed," Sanders said.
Rev. Blosser reiterated Sanders' point. They both mentioned economic development coming to Guilford County with the Toyota and Boom Supersonic plants being built. "We need to make sure our school system is producing people who are ready to take those jobs and move our county forward," Rev. Blosser said.
Rev. Blosser said 80% of school-aged children in Guilford County attend a GCS school. He said passing the bond sends a message to them about what the county thinks of them and their potential.
Election Dates
- Mail-in ballots started going out in late March.
- Early voting begins April 14.
- Early voting ends May 14.
- The primary is May 17.
