GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — The Guilford County School Board approved the budget for next year during its Tuesday night meeting. It includes raises for GCS staff and teachers but will have to get past county commissioners now.
Dozens of teachers and GCS staff stood outside the administrative building ahead of the meeting, calling for the board to approve GCS Superintendent Dr. Sharon Contreras' proposed budget, which includes a minimum wage of $15 per hour for all GCS staff and 5% pay bumps for teachers.
The School Board passed the proposed budget with an 8-1 vote. The district is requesting more than $742 million. That money would come from the state, county and federal government.
During the meeting, Dr. Contreras emphasized the push for pay should be taken up with commissioners and state lawmakers.
"Certainly, the state should take action and the county should supplement it - whatever action the state takes. But the battle is not at this table. I believe everyone supports a living wage for our employees," Dr. Contreras said.
According to school officials, the pay increase would include all bus drivers and school nutrition workers, as well as pay for increases in charter school enrollment and other anticipated administrative costs and restore budget reductions from the 2020-21 school year.
School officials said the local portion of the budget request, approved by the Guilford County Board of Education at Tuesday’s meeting, will now move to the Board of County Commissioners.
“Per state statutes, GCS and other school districts must ask county commissioners for local funding allocations each year,” GCS wrote in a news release. “If approved by the Board of County Commissioners, the budget request would increase county funding to $238,213,822, excluding capital outlay. In North Carolina, county governments are responsible for funding school districts’ capital needs.”
GCS officials said county commissioners are also being asked to maintain the $15 per hour minimum for school bus drivers they approved two years ago but have not fully funded.
According to officials, the proposed budget also would establish $15 per hour for child nutrition workers. These two items totaling to $3.5 million.
The Board of County Commissioners is expected to hold its public hearing on June 3 and adopt a budget on June 17.
