5 days ago
Guilford County Schools bond dollars will only get half of priority projects done
GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — Think back to 2020 and 2022 when you had a question on your ballot about bond dollars for the school district.
Voters approved $2 billion for Guilford County Schools to make massive and much-needed updates to its facilities.
The master plan came out in 2019. Those were pre-pandemic prices. But now, in 2025, things have changed, and there is no way the district will get all 51 of their top priority projects done with the cash they have on hand.
'The writing was kind of on the wall,' Superintendent of GCS Dr. Whitney Oakley said.
She said when they returned from the pandemic, they knew this would be tricky, but in the 2021 to 2022 school year, it really sunk in that this is the new reality of pricing.
'No one had a crystal ball about construction. I can't go to Lowe's and get a piece of wood or go to the gas station and fill up for what it cost in 2019,' Oakley said.
Now, with tariffs on the table, pricing is even more unpredictable.
'We are constantly evaluating how far those dollars will go, how we can use some strategies like replicating a building plan … If you think about the Allen Jay and Sumner that are coming up, they have the same layout, which saves in design,' Oakley said.
In the 2019 facilities master plan, there are 51 priority projects listed to use the bond dollars. But because of rising costs, Oakley said they won't get very far down that list with the $2 billion.
There are four projects no longer needed, so Oakley expects they will make it to about halfway down to project 25 on the list, which leaves about 25 projects in limbo.
'It was decades in the making, and it is going to take decades to get out … I think we need to think about how we make a more predictable stream to be able to continue to do the work because the buildings didn't get in that condition overnight,' Oakley said.
It starts with the ballot. Oakley said she wants to see bond referendums more often to keep cash flowing.
'I think putting energy and resources behind being able to say what dollars are for on the ballot increases transparency, increases accountability, and our community stands behind public education,' Oakley said.
You can look at the list of priority projects to see if your school's project could be funded.
Today, everything before project 25 should be funded. With tariff impacts, that could change.
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