School board says budget falls short
Several members of the Guilford County Board of Education used their speaking time at the end of the board's meeting Tuesday to either express their hopes about the budget, voice their frustrations or, in one case, openly declare 'shame on them' for not already stepping up to provide Guilford County Schools with more resources.
School board member Dianne Bellamy Small, a Democrat whose district includes part of High Point, was the most forceful in her comments, naming Commissioner Pat Tillman and alluding to Commissioner Carlvena Foster, both former members of the school board.
'Tillman used to sit right beside me and I used to kick him in his ankles, so he should know better,' she said.
She criticized the commissioners for being able to find $75 million for an incentives package for an as-yet-unidentified company expected to be named at a press conference today while the proposed budget leaves GCS employees without adequate money for pay raises and maintenance.
'Investing in education is the best win we can do for the entire community,' she said. 'If they can find $75 million to incent a company to come here, they can find the' $53 million increase that the school board had requested.
The county manager's budget proposal would increase the school system's normal operating expenses by $32 million but would not provide any money for emergency maintenance needs such as heating and air conditioning repairs.
School board member Linda Welborn, a Republican, said that while the commissioners have provided a large amount of school bonds money, GCS cannot legally pay for repairs and routine maintenance with that, and it's financially unsound to replace an entire HVAC system if can be repaired instead.
'You cannot leave us hanging with no maintenance dollars to not fix an emergency,' Welborn said. 'I'm totally in shock that somehow their logic is not there.'
In other business, the school board voted in favor of closing three elementary schools with low and shrinking enrollment, including Southern Elementary south of Greensboro, which will close after the 2026-27 school year. Its students will be divided between Allen Jay Elementary in High Point and Sumner Elementary in Greensboro, which both are being torn down to be replaced by all-new schools in 2027.
The board also approved a number of appointments of new principals, including:
* Chelsea Smith as principal at Ferndale Middle. Smith has been serving in a research analyst role since 2021 and was principal at Bessemer Elementary from 2018 to 2021.
* Howard Stimpson as interim principal at Kearns Academy. Stimpson has been a principal with Guilford County Schools since 2014 and currently serves as principal at Penn-Griffin School for the Arts.
* Abu Zaeem as principal at Penn-Griffin School for the Arts. Zaeem is the current principal at Shadybrook Elementary and also served as principal at Doris Henderson Newcomers School.
* Alexa Veach as principal at Shadybrook Elementary. Veach serves as assistant principal at Sternberger Elementary and has worked as an assistant principal at Western Middle and Ferndale Middle.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
a minute ago
Lowe's buying Foundation Building Materials for about $8.8B as it intensifies focus on pro builders
Lowe's is buying Foundation Building Materials, a distributor of drywall, insulation and other products, for approximately $8.8 billion as the home improvement retailer intensifies its focus on professional builders. FBM also provides metal framing, ceiling systems, commercial doors and hardware and other products that serve large residential and commercial professionals in both new construction and repair and remodel applications. It has more than 370 locations in the United States and Canada serving 40,000 professional customers. The acquisition is part of Lowe's move to provide more options for professional builders. The Mooresville, North Carolina-based company recently closed on its $1.3 billion acquisition of Artisan Design Group, a provider of design, distribution and installation services for interior surface finishes, including flooring, cabinets and countertops, to home builders and property managers. Rival Home Depot has been making similar moves. In June the home improvement retailer announced that it was buying specialty building products distributor GMS for $4.3 billion. GMS Inc. of Tucker, Georgia, is a distributor of specialty building products like drywall, steel framing and other supplies used in both residential and commercial projects. Home Depot's acquisition of GMS came after it purchased SRS Distribution, a materials provider for professionals, last year for more than $18 billion including debt. SRS provides materials for professionals like roofers, landscapers and pool contractors. Lowe's deal for FBM is expected to close in the fourth quarter. Aside from the acquisition, Lowe's reported its fiscal second-quarter financial results on Wednesday. The company posted an adjusted profit of $4.33 per share, which topped the $4.23 per share that analysts polled by Zacks Investment Research expected. Revenue totaled $23.96 billion in the period, which met Wall Street's expectations. Lowe's raised its full-year sales outlook to a range of $84.5 billion to $85.5 billion. It previous predicted sales would be between $83.5 billion and $84.5 billion for the year.
Associated Press
a minute ago
- Associated Press
Lowe's buying Foundation Building Materials for about $8.8B as it intensifies focus on pro builders
Lowe's is buying Foundation Building Materials, a distributor of drywall, insulation and other products, for approximately $8.8 billion as the home improvement retailer intensifies its focus on professional builders. FBM also provides metal framing, ceiling systems, commercial doors and hardware and other products that serve large residential and commercial professionals in both new construction and repair and remodel applications. It has more than 370 locations in the United States and Canada serving 40,000 professional customers. The acquisition is part of Lowe's move to provide more options for professional builders. The Mooresville, North Carolina-based company recently closed on its $1.3 billion acquisition of Artisan Design Group, a provider of design, distribution and installation services for interior surface finishes, including flooring, cabinets and countertops, to home builders and property managers. Rival Home Depot has been making similar moves. In June the home improvement retailer announced that it was buying specialty building products distributor GMS for $4.3 billion. GMS Inc. of Tucker, Georgia, is a distributor of specialty building products like drywall, steel framing and other supplies used in both residential and commercial projects. Home Depot's acquisition of GMS came after it purchased SRS Distribution, a materials provider for professionals, last year for more than $18 billion including debt. SRS provides materials for professionals like roofers, landscapers and pool contractors. Lowe's deal for FBM is expected to close in the fourth quarter. Aside from the acquisition, Lowe's reported its fiscal second-quarter financial results on Wednesday. The company posted an adjusted profit of $4.33 per share, which topped the $4.23 per share that analysts polled by Zacks Investment Research expected. Revenue totaled $23.96 billion in the period, which met Wall Street's expectations. Lowe's raised its full-year sales outlook to a range of $84.5 billion to $85.5 billion. It previous predicted sales would be between $83.5 billion and $84.5 billion for the year. The company's stock rose nearly 3% before the market open.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
I'm 62 and not ready to retire, but over working full-time. How do I make sure I can afford to slash my hours?
Imagine this scenario: Tracey from Philadelphia is going on 62, and while her friends are talking about retirement, she's not quite ready to walk off into her golden years just yet. She loves having structure and purpose to her days, as well as the mental challenge of work. Since she's divorced and her adult children have their own lives, she also looks forward to social interactions at the office. She's even become an informal mentor to some of the younger employees. But her health isn't what it used to be, and she wouldn't mind having a bit more time to putter around the garden and babysit her grandkids. Plus, she's tired of the daily commute to work. Yet she isn't quite ready for retirement, nor does she feel she's saved enough money to do so. Ideally, Tracey would like to cut back her hours to part-time work and slowly make the transition to retirement, perhaps over several years. But she's worried about how that could impact her overall retirement savings, as well as her pension and health insurance. She's also worried about how to broach the topic with her boss. She doesn't want to appear as though she's no longer committed to her role or the company, nor does she want to be relegated to less important 'busy work' until she officially retires. Here's what she needs to consider, and how she can bring this up at work. Don't miss Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 6 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan 'works every single time' to kill debt, get rich in America — and that 'anyone' can do it What to consider before reducing your hours Reducing your hours or working part-time is an option for older workers who aren't quite ready for retirement, whether financially or emotionally (or both). For Tracey, part-time work would allow her to stay mentally sharp, continue saving for retirement and gently ease into her golden years. Some employers may even offer this as an option through partial or phased retirement, so it's worth checking in with HR. Retirement savings Tracey will need to crunch the numbers, perhaps with the help of a financial advisor, to see how a reduced salary would impact retirement savings goals. Like many Americans, Tracey probably hasn't met her retirement savings goals just yet. A recent Bankrate survey found that more than half (57%) of Americans (whether working full-time, part-time or temporarily unemployed) feel that they're behind with their savings for retirement. For workers 50 and older, there's the option to make annual catch-up contributions to a 401(k), 403(b) or governmental 457 plans. For 2025, workers can contribute up to an additional $7,500 for a total of $31,000. If you're considering going part-time before retirement, you'll likely have less to put aside in your retirement savings accounts and/or brokerage accounts — and you may not have the extra cash to benefit from catch-up contributions. Cutting down to part-time can also impact your pension (if you have one). Each pension plan has different rules; for example, some may have a provision for annualizing part-time earnings. So it's best to talk to the HR department about your options. If you have a spouse, you'll also want to discuss how going part-time could impact your shared retirement goals. Social Security If Tracey works part-time but still makes enough money to live on, she could potentially delay taking her Social Security benefit until her full retirement age (between age 66 and 67), when she'd receive 100% of her benefit. But Social Security benefits are calculated based on your 35 highest-earning years. If Tracey earned significantly more in her later career, cutting back her hours now could lower her average and slightly reduce her benefit. For those considering going part time, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has a number of online tools that can help you crunch the numbers to figure out how reducing your hours could affect your benefits down the road. Health insurance coverage Even if Tracey has already met her retirement savings goal and money isn't really an issue, she'll still need to consider health insurance. Medicare doesn't kick in until age 65, and employers are not obligated to provide health insurance part-time employees. In fact, only a quarter (26%) of part-time workers have employer-sponsored health coverage, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, anyone who works 30 hours a week or 130 hours a month is considered a full-time employee by the IRS under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). That means, if Tracey continues to work at least 30 hours a week until she turns 65, she'd still hold onto her employer-sponsored health coverage. If you find yourself wanting to reduce your work hours but losing health coverage in the process, you can fill out a Marketplace health insurance application to see if you're eligible for a plan based on your income (or free or low-cost coverage through Medicaid). Read more: Nervous about the stock market? Gain potential quarterly income through this $1B private real estate fund — even if you're not a millionaire. Working it out with your employer If you're in a similar position as Tracey and are ready to bring this topic up with your boss, first make sure to research your company's policies around part-time work. Once you're as aware of the policies as possible, prepare a proposal. Proposing part-time work to your employer The proposal that you bring to your boss should highlight the benefits of this arrangement both for you and for them. You can emphasize how the new arrangement would allow the company to continue to lean on your offerings while also giving you much-needed flexibility. The proposal should also address any potential concerns. According to career advice from Indeed, 'Your supervisor may worry about how the reduction of your work hours might result in a loss of work or impact your colleagues negatively. Try to validate these concerns and offer your supervisor options for overcoming any potential challenge.' For example, perhaps you have institutional knowledge that can help train the next generation of workers. If you're able to negotiate part-time work, it's advisable to sign a new employment agreement (or amend your current one) that outlines the change in hours, pay and benefits. What to do if your employer says no It's possible that, despite a stellar proposal, your boss may not go for it. If that's the case, there are still a couple of options. You could discuss the possibility of working for the company as a freelance consultant, which gives you control over which projects you take on. If you can't negotiate any arrangement with her current employer, you could also consider looking for part-time work elsewhere. This might be a good option for someone who still needs to save for retirement, but finds their current job to be a bad fit. Easing into retirement through part-time work could give Tracey the best of both worlds: the security and social structure of her job, along with the freedom to start enjoying more personal time. And for anyone in her position, the same holds true. As long as you carefully review the impact on savings, benefits and insurance, and work with your employer on a clear plan, you'll be better prepared to step confidently into the next chapter of life. What to read next Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now Here are 5 simple ways to grow rich with real estate if you don't want to play landlord. And you can even start with as little as $10 Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Stay in the know. Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise sent straight to your inbox every week for free. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
