news-record.com

Education funding in Guilford County is expected to receive another look this week ahead of another public hearing on the county’s budget proposal.

A joint meeting including a committee on education and another group on the county’s budget will be held at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at 301 W. Market St. The meeting is open to the public.

The county's 2009-10 budget proposal cuts $3 million from the Guilford County Schools maintenance fund, which school supporters say is needed to update HVAC systems, roofs and other facility needs.

Most commissioners appear to be against offering more than the $4 million currently proposed for that maintenance fund, but school supporters say that’s not enough to cover the upkeep costs.

Guilford County is in the process of developing a budget for 2009-10 and could pass a budget as soon as Thursday, some commissioners have said.

As for the joint meeting, Board of Commissioners Vice Chairman Steve Arnold said he expects the county to go over those maintenance needs from the schools.

“The county has asked the schools for a list of what they’re going to spend the dollars on, and we have yet to get it,” Arnold said, “And maybe this is an effort to get it.”

The budget committee and the education committee were named in December by Board of Commissioners Chairman Melvin “Skip” Alston. They do not have the authority to act on behalf of the Board of Commissioners.