Guilford County Board of Education
Board Meeting
November 9, 2006

GUILFORD COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
GUILFORD COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
SPECIAL CALLED JOINT MEETING
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA

The Guilford County Board of Education and the Guilford County Board of County Commissioners met in a special called joint meeting at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 10, 2006, at 712 North Eugene Street, Greensboro, North Carolina for the purposes of discussing items of mutual interest.

Members of the Board of Education present were: Walter Childs, Kris Cooke, Alan Duncan, Darlene Garrett, Deena Hayes, Dot Kearns, Susan Mendenhall, Amos Quick, Nancy Routh and Marti Sykes. Board member Anita Sharpe was absent. Also present were Superintendent Terry Grier and Attorney Jill Wilson.

Members of the Board of Commissioners present were: Melvin “Skip” Alston, Kay Cashion, Carolyn Coleman, Bruce Davis, Paul Gibson, Kirk Perkins, John Parks and Mike Winstead. Board members Steve Arnold, Linda Shaw and Billy Yow were absent. Also present were Interim County Manager David McNeill and Attorney Sharon Kurtz.

Carolyn Coleman, Chairwoman of the Board of Commissioners, called the meeting to order at 6:10 p.m.

Discussion Items

Discussion of Possible School Funding Formulas

Chairwoman Carolyn Coleman initiated discussion concerning the possible use of school funding formulas. She stated that the Guilford County Board of Commissioners would like to work with the Guilford County Board of Education on investigating the possibility of creating a funding formula for the schools to use. County Commissioners requested that a discussion group be created, which would include the county’s manager, finance director and attorney meeting with the school district’s superintendent, finance director, and attorney. This group would investigate existing funding formulas that may be useful and acceptable to both groups. School Board members stated that it would be helpful to also have members of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners and Guilford County Board of Education participate in this group.

Chief Finance Officer Sharon Ozment talked about formulas Guilford County Schools used in prior years and also presented information regarding several local funding formula options. She reported that the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners Fiscal Task Force recommends consideration of six possible funding formulas by local boards of education and boards of county commissioners. Three of the options are based on averages determined or affected by external factors such as funding levels in other jurisdictions. Three are based on internal calculations and history. The options are: Statewide Average Model, Modified Statewide Average Model, Benchmarking Model, Inflation Model, Snapshot Model and Tax Base Growth Model.

Following a period of discussion, there was consensus that school board members are willing to investigate funding options further if there is also a commitment from the County Commissioners. Chairman Duncan will have further discussions with Chairwoman Carolyn Coleman on how to proceed.

Discussion of Possible School Bond Referendum Request

Chairman Alan Duncan presented information on GCS’ Capital Improvement Program 2007 Bond Planning Data. Student enrollment in Guilford County points to the critical need for additional seats in both existing schools and new schools. In November, 1999 the district was educating children in 441 mobile classrooms. In October, 2006 that number has grown to 648 mobile classrooms. Additionally, many schools are in need of renovation and repair.

The planning data presented represents a significant portion of the facility needs in GCS. However, the needs go well beyond those included in this summary. The information was presented as a starting point for discussion of the facility needs and to generate dialogue related to priorities. The estimates are based on historical data and current construction industry trends. They are very general in nature and are intended as a planning estimate at this point in time. As priorities are developed, it will be necessary to refine the estimates based on a site-by-site detailed needs assessment and project scope. It will also be necessary to develop a timeline for proposed projects in order to apply the appropriate inflation rate.

Chairman Duncan emphasized that the school board has not yet narrowed down this list, nor has it identified an amount or timeframe of when to come to the County Commissioners to ask for the proposed bond referendum to be on a ballot. The school board is currently studying this project summary for prioritization.

There was additional discussion regarding the possibility of identifying the use of state lottery proceed money to be used toward future bond repayment.

With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 5:24 p.m.