Voters OK trailblazing bonds

Paul B. Johnson, The High Point Enterprise, N.C.
·2 min read

Dec. 28—Editor's note: No. 5 of the top 10 stories of 2022.

GUILFORD COUNTY — Voters approved a $1.7 billion school facilities bond package in May that is one of the largest voter-approved education bond issues enacted in the country.

The bond measure passed by a solid margin, with 61% of county voters casting ballots in favor.

Advocates for the bonds say the money generated will upgrade all schools across Guilford County and bring classroom facilities to a standard that will make the school system competitive on a national level.

Some of the projects will involve the construction of new buildings while others will give existing ones a makeover. The bonds also will address maintenance needs that have gone wanting for decades.

Repaying the debt for the bonds also means higher tax bills for the majority of Guilford County property owners. County staff has indicated that the county will need $50 million in extra revenue each year through 2038 to pay off the obligation. County Manager Michael Halford has said that amounts to 7 cents per $100 of property value, which would amount to about $170 for a median-value home of $241,750.

The passage of the bond referendum culminated an effort launched five years ago by former Guilford County Schools Superintendent Sharon Contreras. She created a study committee to examine the long-term capital needs of the school system.

Working with a consultant, the school district leadership identified $2 billion in needs. Contreras, who left this past summer for a job with an education nonprofit in Raleigh, then began talks with the county commissioners about placing the issue before voters.

Guilford County voters first approved a bond issue issue in November 2020 that covered $300 million. The projects funded in the 2020 bond package include a new combined Southwest Guilford elementary and middle school in High Point.

After the vote in May, former Republican commissioner Alan Branson, a candidate for an at-large seat on the board, filed an election complaint arguing that Guilford County leaders improperly used public resources to advocate for passage of the bonds.

Branson's complaint was dismissed by the N.C. State Board of Elections and a Wake County Superior Court judge.

In the Nov. 8 general election, Branson lost to Democratic Commissioner Kay Cashion of Greensboro. Cashion's margin of victory was about the same as the spread in the May primary in favor of passing the bond referendum.

pjohnson@hpenews.com — 336-888-3528 — @HPEpaul