State funds sought for county school programs
By Paul B. Johnson
GUILFORD COUNTY — A bipartisan group of local legislators is supporting a bill that would secure $8.3 million for the tutoring and learning hub programs of Guilford County Schools.
House Bill 342 was filed this week in the N.C. General Assembly. The legislation would secure $5 million to hire more tutors, expand tutoring subject areas and offer more tutoring sessions.
The bill also would provide $3.3 million to support the learning hub program, which provides high school students who are at risk of not graduating with individualized programs to complete graduation requirements and increase the school district's graduation rates.
The state funding would be for the upcoming 2025-26 fiscal year that begins July 1.
GCS started the tutoring and learning hubs programs as part of its response to academic declines following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both were initially paid for with federal pandemic relief money, but when that money expired last year, both programs were reduced. Tutoring now is done only in elementary school English and middle school math, and learning hubs were reduced from operating four days a week to two days a week.
The programs have received national acclaim for their results with student achievement.
Superintendent Whitney Oakley said at a High Point Schools Partnership event Feb. 27 that while reduced, both programs continued to show improved academic results.
Guilford County Schools leadership is seeking the tutorial and learning hubs funding as part of the annual legislative goals of the Guilford County Board of Education.
Cosponsors of House Bill 342 are Reps. Alan Branson and John Blust, R-Guilford, and Reps. Cecil Brockman, Amos Quick, Pricey Harrison and Tracy Clark, D-Guilford.
'House Bill 342 is a priority request to support funding of critical targeted programs for getting all of our students where they need to be,' said Brockman, who represents the vast majority of High Point. 'This is a bipartisan initiative developed in consultation with the local school board and with the full support of the Guilford legislative caucus. We trust that our colleagues will appreciate the importance of this request for North Carolina's future success.'
pjohnson@hpenews.com | 336-888-3528 | @HPEpaul
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