School Funding and Affordability Top Issues in Guilford County Commissioners' Primaries

Voters in Guilford County will decide Democratic primary winners for District 7 and an at-large Board of Commissioners seat on March 3, 2026, in contests defined by school funding and affordability. District 7 incumbent Frankie Jones and at-large incumbent Kay Cashion are not seeking re-election, and there is no Republican challenger listed in District 7, making the Democratic primary winner the likely general-election nominee.

The District 7 Democratic contest pits public school educator Walter Johnson against Lisa McMillan, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Turning Everything Around. Johnson has said on Facebook that he "has a plan for homeowners to enjoy higher equity in their homes, while still cutting taxes," language that was highlighted as residents began receiving notices of new property values. Reporting lists Johnson as supporting law enforcement and increased school funding. McMillan, who ran for the District 7 seat in 2022, has prioritized affordability, small-business support, and public health as central campaign issues.

The at-large Democratic primary is a three-way race between Rev. Gregory Drumwright, Toby Hedgepeth, and Amy Kemp. Rev. Drumwright, a member of the Guilford County Planning Board, has posted campaign positions calling for higher teacher pay and expanded county mental health support. Toby Hedgepeth, a human resources director at UNC–Chapel Hill, campaigned on eliminating school meal debt and strengthening public health programs. Amy Kemp is listed as a candidate for the at-large seat but available reporting provides no biography or platform details for her candidacy.

Budget figures underline the stakes in classrooms and cafeterias across Guilford County. The Board of Commissioners approved a fiscal 2025 budget on June 18, 2025, that included a $12.3 million increase in funding for Guilford County Schools. Of that increase, $4.8 million was earmarked for targeted uses - $3.0 million to raise classified staff salaries and $1.8 million for safety and security projects such as touchless entry scanners at middle and high schools. The remaining $7.5 million was designated to help cover $10.5 million in projected legally required and sustaining operations cost increases, including utility hikes and growth in charter school enrollment.

Guilford County Schools had requested more than $31 million from the county in May 2025, including more than $26.7 million for salary increases, $1.5 million for safety and security, and $3.0 million for legally required costs. To bridge the gap between that request and county funding, the district realigned more than $4.9 million in local dollars, limited hiring to highest-need positions, and redistributed staff caseloads. The GCS fiscal year began July 1, 2025, and the Board of Education adopted a budget resolution despite the state General Assembly not having passed the 2025–26 biennium budget.

County officials have framed possible revenue options to sustain school investments. Deputy County Manager Toy Beeninga said the Board of Commissioners has been a "strong advocate for K-12 education financially" and noted the county is "ranked ninth in the state for proportionate contributions to the school district." Beeninga added, "Over the last five years, they have really increased the level of funding for Guilford County schools to support our educational outcomes, but also to invest in teacher supplements, principal supplements, assistant principal supplements as well as a $2 billion bond." On potential new revenue streams, Beeninga said, "And should that get approved here in Guilford County, it would give another revenue stream to potentially fund other priorities in the county … That’s something that the voters will have to decide if it’s on the ballot, but it is an option that is out there that can diversify those revenue streams."

Guilford County Schools Chief Financial Officer Tyler Beck said a proposed revenue presentation suggested "the majority of the revenue could go directly to teacher raises to keep salaries competitive" and added, "We know that a portion of it would go to teachers and certified supplements. And so it kind of kicks some of the guesswork out and kind of outlines the partnerships and things like that that would be included in there." With teacher pay, classified salary increases, safety projects, and meal debt among the issues named by candidates and officials, the March 3 primary will shape who carries those priorities into the next Board of Commissioners budget cycle.