Latest news with #WhitneyOakley
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
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. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Action Greensboro releases report on Guilford County Schools
GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — What are the strengths and weaknesses of Guilford County Schools? Action Greensboro crunched the numbers to provide an honest, data-driven look at pre-K to 12th-grade public education. The report highlights teacher retention rates, student demographics and what the school system has done to make up for COVID-19 funds expiring. GCS serves over 60,000 students from kindergarten to 12th grade. With that many students, Superintendent Dr. Whitney Oakley says it's the teachers who make the difference in the classroom. 'No one can do any other job without a teacher. I just think our country has kind of fallen behind in our value of the profession,' Oakley said. In a report released by Action Greensboro, teacher retention rates are down. According to the report, 18 percent of teachers left the school district last year. Oakley believes it's partly because GCS has the lowest local salary supplement out of the surrounding counties. 'Last year, North Carolina was the number one state for business and the 38th in teacher pay, and both of those things can't be true. Paying attention to it, calling it out … More importantly, doing something about it,' Oakley said. The report found that 57 percent of the school systems' funding comes from within the county. Executive Director of Action Greensboro Cecilia Thompson said this means local advocacy is critical. 'How do we make sure that we, as neighbors, faith leaders, etc., are coming together to have really critical conversations? That it's not just going to our school board and asking them what they can do but really asking ourselves what can our community do?' Thompson said. On a bright note, the report shows kindergarteners are improving in literacy, comparing the beginning of the year to the end of the year. Across the county, reading proficiency increased 40 points, but Oakley says there's still room to grow. 'So we still have student groups who are not making the progress that they need to when they get to that 3rd grade reading, but the early foundational skills really matter. Our elementary teachers have become experts in early literacy and foundational skills,' Oakley said. Oakley said that while this is great news, educators are working to maintain those numbers through all grade levels. One factor that plays into that success is the high-dosage tutoring. Oakley said the program was funded through COVID-19 dollars, and the funding expired in September. The task moving forward is to find money to keep these programs alive. 'We believe tutoring should be a part of what we do all the time, not just when there's a pandemic,' Oakley said. Oakley attributes these programs to the success of students. Overall, Guilford County schools have the highest graduation rate compared to other communities. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Foundation, school leaders update tutoring effort
Want to know more? For more information about the Guilford County Schools high-dosage tutoring program, check the website or call 336-882-3298. {related_content_uuid}f8fb6b4b-5ac8-44ff-ad59-1297729be748{/related_content_uuid} HIGH POINT — Guilford County Schools leaders say an ambitious tutoring program at four High Point elementary schools is showing early signs of promise improving the reading proficiency of first-grade students. The program, funded through the High Point Community Foundation, has resulted in more than 8,000 tutoring sessions with first-graders at Kirkman Park, Parkview Village, Northwood and Montlieu elementary schools. Educators are noting more progress so far with the first-grade students immersed in tutoring, Superintendent Whitney Oakley said Wednesday at a foundation luncheon at Congdon Yards that drew 50 community leaders, educators and benefactors. 'The tutors have been trained to find the learning gaps,' Oakley said. The tutoring program was begun countywide by the school system after the COVID-19 pandemic, but as the federal pandemic relief funding that was used for it expired, the foundation stepped in as the lead donor for tutoring in the four High Point schools. That emerged from discussions started three years ago between the foundation and school district leaders about improving reading efficiency among elementary school students. 'Our game plan was to provide high-dosage tutoring exclusively to first- and second-graders with the goal of having them reading at grade level by third grade,' Foundation President Paul Lessard said. The foundation has raised $750,000 of the $800,000 needed to underwrite the initiative. Lessard said the local program could serve as a national model for tutoring. The city of High Point has contributed $250,000 to the tutoring program, which City Manager Tasha Logan Ford said is an investment for the future prosperity of the community. 'The goal is to have children reach their full potential,' Ford said. 'It's turning a wish that we have to do better into reality.'
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
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@ | 336-888-3528 | @HPEpaul
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Guilford County Schools Superintendent Whitney Oakley shares education hourney with FOX8
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — Some kids wander for years, trying to figure out what they want to be as an adult. Whitney Oakley was not one of those. 'I knew on the first day of school that I wanted to be a teacher, and there was never a doubt about that,' Oakley aid. She started her schooling at Guilford Primary Elementary School in Guilford County. Though she did leave the county to attend East Carolina University, she came back to her home town and began teaching at Frazier Elementary School on the south side of Greensboro before earning both a master's degree in Elementary Education from Greensboro College and a PhD in Educational Leadership from UNC-Greensboro. Triad teachers struggle with students bringing phones to class That led to consistent promotions. For the first one, she did cross over the county line to become a principal in Alamance County. But she returned soon after that to take jobs in Guilford County leadership. 'I was perfectly happy in the classroom,' Oakley said. 'Every time that I've stepped into a new leadership role, it's because a mentor or someone in the building asked me to.' But her time in the classroom teaching special education, kindergarten and third grade remains with her today. 'I haven't lost sight of what it was like to be in the classroom. I stay close. I'm a parent, so every day, I have a new appreciation for teachers with my own kids, and I also love being a principal, so I spend a lot of time in classrooms and with principals, and I think staying proximate helps,' Oakley said. She's quick to answer when asked what the pull is to remain in education when she could probably make more money in the private sector. Saved by the Bell: Guilford County middle school teacher aims to ensure students don't 'disappear' 'The power and just the relationships … The impact that teachers can make every day, and then the student goes home with that,' Oakley said. 'There are lots of stories of teachers that would put their stuffed animals out in front of them when they were little, and that's all really true, but I knew from Ms. Welborn, my kindergarten teacher, that I wanted to be just like that.' It's been quite a journey, and it was not always what she thought it would be. 'It's different every single day,' Oakley said. 'But I can say that I have so much loyalty to this community. It's a community that's given back to me in so many ways and continues to give back to me. I knew I wanted to raise my kids here … When the opportunity presented itself, it was already home and, so … it's complicated, but I didn't know what it was going to be, but you show up every day and do the best that you can.' See more from Oakley in this Saved By the Bell edition of The Buckley Report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
