Superintendent's Blog

May 22, 2009 - Budget cuts are tough, but we are tougher

For the 2008-09 school year, GCS and other North Carolina school districts have been required by the state to return millions of dollars in funding.
As of today, GCS’ budget has been reduced by the state by $9,437,446 for the current school year. 

Earlier this month, the state asked GCS to return about $2 million, in addition to the $2.8 million the district returned to the state in December. About $2.9 million from lottery funding and Public School Building Capital Fund dollars allotted for GCS was instead used to balance the state budget.

Moreover, all employees are taking a 0.5 percent pay cut between now and June 30 through the flexible furlough plan issued by the state.

It’s nearly impossible to cut millions of dollars and not feel it, but Chief Financial Officer Sharon Ozment and senior administration worked hard to limit the impact on students and the classroom. Teachers, support staff, administration and students have truly showed what they’re made of during these difficult times.

Our employees’ composure and resilience drives our district forward as our goal of providing our students with a superior education continues to be everyone’s number one priority.     

To see a breakdown of the reversions, click here.

May 11, 2009 - Celebrating Teachers and School Nurses

Last week was important for many of our employees in Guilford County Schools. On May 5, we celebrated our teachers for National Teacher Day, and the following day, May 6, our school nurses were honored on National School Nurse Day.

Both teachers and school nurses are essential to our students’ success, and we recognize the crucial role they play. But this week isn’t the only time we should say thank you. Every day, these individuals go above and beyond the call of duty. They are teachers, advocators, disciplinarians, role models and friends. Our teachers work hard to challenge students in the classroom and prepare them for excellence beyond school, while our school nurses continuously work with school staff and parents to ensure our children are healthy and ready to learn.

As the school year winds down, and our teachers and nurses are asked what they would want in return for their hard work, a simple ‘thank you’ is their response.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.