Guilford County Schools Seeks Public Input on Better Together Update

Guilford County Schools is asking families, staff and community partners to weigh in on an update to its long-range strategic plan, Better Together, with two surveys posted on the district website and a deadline phrased as "this Friday" that corresponds to Feb. 20, 2026. The district described the update as part of a broader effort launched after Dr. Whitney Oakley’s announcement as superintendent and shaped by community conversations.

One survey is aimed at families and focuses on how the district can prepare students for life after high school and support their well-being. The other survey targets community members such as business, nonprofit and faith leaders and asks how the district can better collaborate with outside partners. These survey topics reflect language on the district’s planning pages that cites technological advances, globalization, mental health challenges and the pandemic as factors changing the education landscape.

Guilford County Schools frames Better Together as a new strategic direction with a singular focus “to make Guilford County Schools the best place to learn, work and grow.” The initiative builds on the district’s history, including the 1991 referendum that merged three school districts into the current Guilford County Schools system. District materials say Better Together grew out of a series of community conversations convened since Dr. Oakley took leadership.

Residents seeking details or help finding the surveys can contact the district office at 712 N. Eugene St., Greensboro, NC 27401 or by phone at 336-370-8100. The district newsroom lists current operational communications that run alongside the strategic-plan outreach, including HS Course Registration 2026-27, Rising MS Course Registration 2026-27, MS Course Registration 2026-27 and the Guilford Guarantee, and a notice that GCS intends to surplus three former office buildings.

Separately, the Guilford County Board of Education Facilities Naming Committee opened a 30-day public input period on three naming nominations posted to the district site. The committee submitted a nomination to name the concession stand at Southern Guilford High the Pat Millis Concession Stand in honor of Patricia “Pat” Yow Millis, described as living across the road and as the school’s greatest non-faculty advocate for the last 50 years. The committee also nominated renaming the cul-de-sac in front of Penn-Griffin School for the Arts as William Penn Way to honor graduates of William Penn High School, a proposal from the William Penn High Class of 1965. At James B. Dudley High, the committee nominated naming the main gym basketball court David Price Court in honor of retired head coach David Price, noting he led the Panthers to 11 Little Four Championship Basketball Games and the 1996 4-A state title during a 20-year career.

District postings available on the Guilford County Schools website provide the public-facing descriptions and contact information; the materials reviewed do not include direct quotes from Dr. Oakley or a published calendar of forum dates tied to the survey period. Community organizations and families concerned about student mental health, post-high-school readiness and equitable partnerships may find the timing and focus of the surveys relevant to local budget and program priorities.