Guilford commissioners hear big school, college budget requests, boundary proposal

Guilford County commissioners spent Thursday weighing tens of millions in new school and college requests while residents face another tax fight during property reappraisal, when higher assessments can already push bills upward. Board Chair Skip Alston, along with commissioners Michael Halford and Frankie Jones Jr., heard a budget workshop that put the county’s biggest spending pressures on one table before the board sets its own tax rate.

Guilford County Schools came with a wide-ranging request that starts with pay. Under Superintendent Whitney Oakley, the district asked for a teacher supplement increase totaling $10 million in the first year and $9.2 million in the second year. The district also wants $15 million over five years for classified staff pay increases, $19.53 million for technology replacements, $3.68 million for continued school safety spending and $1.3 million annually for capital costs not covered by bond money. Those numbers add up to a long list of needs that will compete with the county’s other priorities before any tax decision is made.

Guilford Technical Community College added its own pressure, asking the county for $23.8 million in operational and local capital needs. Against that backdrop, the county’s FY 2025-26 recommended budget lists $673,443,162 in net county funds, a reminder that even modest shifts in spending can ripple through the tax bill for homeowners already watching reassessment notices.

The calendar is tight. County budget materials set May 21 for the county manager’s recommended budget presentation, June 5 for a public hearing, June 10 and June 12 for work sessions and June 18 for anticipated adoption. The county has also been holding April town halls and livability forums across Guilford County to gather public input on the FY 2026-27 budget and strategic plan, before commissioners make the final call.

The workshop also touched a smaller but still consequential issue: the county line with Randolph County. Commissioners approved a motion to survey and officially mark the boundary, which has not been updated since 1948. County officials say clear lines matter for emergency services, taxes and making sure residents know which government serves them. Guilford County Emergency Services provides paramedic-level EMS, fire support operations, fire code inspections, fire investigations and emergency management, the kind of work that depends on exact jurisdictional boundaries.

A sales tax referendum tied to school funding is expected on the November 2026 ballot, extending the budget fight beyond this spring’s hearing schedule and into a broader debate over how Guilford County pays for classrooms, college seats and core county services.