Two billion dollars. That’s how much Guilford County voters approved in 2020 and 2022, hoping it would transform aging, crumbling schools across the district. But now Superintendent Dr. Whitney Oakley says that money will only stretch far enough to complete 21 out of the 51 promised projects.
“It costs more to buy a piece of wood, steel costs more, concrete costs more, labor shortages — all of the things,” Oakley said. “We’re talking between 2 and 3 times more than what we thought things would cost… and that’s not even factoring in proposed tariff impacts.”
At the root of the problem is soaring inflation. When the district began planning projects back in 2019, a foot of PVC pipe cost just $0.76. That same pipe now costs $1.31 — nearly double. And that’s one tiny example of the massive construction projects…