Guilford superintendent asks county for $43.9M in targeted increases and $314M local appropriation
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Superintendent Whitney Oakley presented the 2025—26 budget recommendation asking for $43.9 million of targeted increases (teacher supplements, classified compensation, safety) and a $314 million county appropriation; the plan includes $10M for local teacher supplements and $15.3M for classified compensation phase 2.
Superintendent Whitney Oakley presented the Guilford County Schools 2025—26 budget recommendation at the March 11 board meeting, saying the request is aimed at accelerating student learning, shoring up safety and security, and improving staff compensation to retain employees.
Oakley said the superintendent's recommendation would ask the county for a $314 million local appropriation (a 16.2% increase) and cited a set of prioritized needs: $10.6 million for legally required/sustaining operations, $3.6 million to continue safety and security subscriptions that ESSER funds previously covered, and $29.7 million for compensation increases including a $10 million local teacher supplement and $15.3 million for phase 2 of the classified staff compensation plan.
Finance staff described the larger operating picture: a recommended state fund projection of $495 million, a local current expense request of $318.3 million and federal grants estimated at $54.6 million, resulting in a total recommended operating budget near $947.2 million when combined with capital and special funds. Staff also noted about $7.5 million of the local request would be transferred to charter schools under the formula that follows enrollment trends.
Officials told the board the district has seen a recent enrollment uptick in kindergarten registrations and highlighted program gains (a 46% increase in dual-enrollment credits in three years), but said declining federal pandemic-era funds will likely produce a funding cliff. Finance staff warned that if requested funding is not approved, difficult trade-offs would be required, such as cutting extracurricular offerings, altering magnet transportation, or changing class-size or program availability.
Board members asked follow-up questions about particulars including how interest earned on investments is treated, whether state-level legislative changes (House Bill references) could affect district eligibility for supplemental funds, and the timeline for the public hearing on the budget (April 8). Oakley encouraged community members to attend the April public hearing and to engage county commissioners and state legislators about funding priorities.
The superintendent presented the budget recommendation for board review; a formal board vote on the local appropriation request may follow after the public hearing and further discussions with county officials.