The Guilford County Board of Education is cutting more than $14 million from its budget.
The reductions are the result of state-mandated salary increases for teachers, declining enrollment and lower-than-expected local funding.
Superintendent Whitney Oakley explained some of the cuts at a meeting Tuesday.
“We've had impacts on academics and staffing and operations," Oakley said. "The supports that we're able to provide to students. Things like tutoring, things like increasing class size, things that people are really feeling in schools.”
Technology is another big issue. The average GCS student device is 7 years old — roughly double the target age for replacement. Students are also sharing devices now because there aren’t enough to go around.
Oakley said the district’s original budget proposal, created with commissioners, included funding for technology replacement. But the county didn’t end up approving it due to changes in property tax revenue.
Guilford isn’t the only district with this problem. A recent report found 75% of school districts in the state don’t have sustainable funding to maintain their devices.