Welcome to the YES! Weekly Pop Quiz,
where we ask politicians and public
servants about their jobs. This week we
address questions to members of the Guilford
County School Board and candidates
for the office. The rules are simple: no
research, no callbacks.
QUESTIONS
How many students does the district
serve? (1,000 margin of error allowed)
What percentage of the school system’s
funding comes from local sources? (2
percent margin of error allowed)
What percentage of students are on
free and reduced lunch? (1 percent margin
of error allowed)
What percentage of students are
minority or non-white? (1 percent margin
of error allowed) Statewide?
Dot Kearns, at-large (lame
duck)
At this point in time it’s probably in the area of 71,500 [correct ]
Local sources — in the area of 30 percent [correct ]
I believe this year system wide it’s about
52 percent. [X]
I think that is 52 percent. The bulk of
those are African American, but it does
include about 5 percent or better Asian and 6 to 7
percent Hispanic. [X]
Alan Duncan, chairman,
District 4
72,000 [correct ]
There’s different ways of doing that. The
most recent has been 33 percent. [ correct]
Last year it was 47 or 46. I think they
adjusted it. [correct ]
The white population is 41 percent. That
would be between 58 and 60 percent. [correct ]
Walter Childs III, District 1
(lame duck)
72,000 [
Approximately a third [ correct]
That one is about 25 percent if not more [X]
Somewhere around 50 percent,
between 46 and 50 percent [X]
Mike Stone, candidate for
District 3
71,000 [ correct]
I know the local funds are about 187
million. Forty-one percent: That doesn’t
sound right. Total funding is like just under 600
million. Thirty-one percent. [correct ]
Probably closer to 50 — 49 percent [correct ]
I know that blacks and whites are
basically the same at about 40 percent.
That would mean that 60 percent are of [ethnicities]
other than white. [correct]
Paul Daniels, candidate
for District 5 (running
unopposed)
Roughly 72,000 [correct]
Local sources…. About $187.2 million
comes from the county. [ correct -]
We’re about 40 percent or so. [X]
That’s about the same: 40 percent or so,
little bit more. [X]
ANSWERS
1) The Guilford County Schools’ website
reports that the system serves 71,176
students, but Lekan Oguntoyinbo of district
relations pegs it at 72,000
2) 33.0 percent, if you’re only looking at the
operating budget, and 30.3 percent, if you
count capital outlay, school food services
and the ACES program
3) 48.6 percent, according to figures posted
on the district website, but Oguntoyinbo
pegs it at 47 percent.
4) 59.6 percent, according to the district’s
2007-2008 annual report
