Greensboro, N.C. – Local elected officials met with the Guilford County Board of Education, Superintendent Dr. Whitney Oakley and other Guilford County Schools (GCS) leaders this morning as the district presented its legislative priorities for 2023-24, which the Board of Education approved at a special called meeting on Thursday.

The district’s priorities were developed using feedback from Oakley’s Better Together community conversations, held with parents, staff, students and the community throughout the last few months. Priorities fell into four focus areas: Recruit, Retain and Reward Top Talent; Accelerate Learning; Foster Healthy and Safe Schools; and Prepare Students for the World.

“Our students have shown measurable progress, but there is still much more work to be done. We cannot merely hope to go back to where we were pre-pandemic. Instead, we must reimagine public education for what it can and should be,” says Oakley. “As federal funds sunset in 2024, we must find new ways to sustain and extend learning recovery efforts and state legislators play a key role.”

Among the specific requests are:

-A substantial increase to teacher base pay to reach the national average, as well as additional funding for classified staff;

-$3.1 million to sustain the district’s high-dosage tutoring program, which has been funded by grants and time-limited federal recovery funds;

-$3.3 million to sustain the district’s learning hubs, which have been funded by grants and time-limited federal recovery funds;

-Local calendar flexibility to address pandemic-related learning loss;

-Increased state funding allocations for school psychologists, counselors and social workers, which are well below national recommendations;

-Funding to support a transition from diesel to electric school buses; and

-$2.5 million to expand the district’s career and technology education programs and signature career academies.

To view the full legislative agenda, click here

About Guilford County Schools 

Guilford County Schools, the third largest school district in North Carolina and among the largest of more than 14,000 in the United States, serves nearly 70,000 PK-12 students at 126 schools. With approximately 9,800 employees, GCS works in partnership with parents, businesses, colleges and the community to deliver an education that connects student interests and skills with the careers and economy of our future here and around the world. We provide educational choices to meet individual