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Guilford County Schools did not receive full funding in the 2009-10 Guilford County budget, even after a second round of pleas from educators, students and parents Thursday.

The Board of Commissioners passed a $585 million budget with no property tax increase Thursday, but also without any increase to the $4 million that County Manager Brenda Jones Fox had recommended for maintaining schools.

The school system had asked for $7 million.

But commissioners seemed to stress that the schools could always come back to ask for more funding later in the year.

Some speakers at Thursday night’s meeting discussed the maintenance fund cuts, but others suggested greater accountability for Guilford County Schools in its overall $175 million operating budget.

“They are given money, and they’re making poor choices,” said Lauren Sastre, a chemistry teacher at Western Guilford High School who learned that her job had been cut this week.

“That’s a crying shame because we need teachers like you,” Commissioner Linda Shaw said later in the meeting.

The commissioners began the budget process early this year with study groups of commissioners and members of the community chosen by Chairman Melvin “Skip” Alston.

“Being in the minority party on the board allows me to have to make some concessions,” said Vice Chairman Steve Arnold, who worked on the budget and helped corral votes from commissioners to pass the spending plan.

Arnold said earlier this week that votes were likely in place for the budget even before the hearing Thursday.

“And what you said tonight was not worth the breath it took to say it,” Commissioner Billy Yow said, adding that Alston and Arnold gathered votes to pass the budget ahead of time despite the hearing.

There were some last-minute adjustments to the budget:

* A $250,000 increase for the Guilford County Attorney’s Office, related to a new contract with an outside firm to take the position of permanent county attorney.

* Full funding for the county’s transportation program, although fares will increase to $2.50 from $1.60.

* A decrease in library funding by $350,000. Fox recommended a $400,000 decrease to the Greensboro library. The High Point library got a $90,000 decrease in county funds.

* An increase of $5,000 for the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival from the current year, to give the theater company a total of $30,000.

The commissioners’ funding is less than that proposed by the county manager, who had included a $25,000 increase over the current year’s budget. The theater festival did not apply for a funding increase in 2009-10.

* A $20,000 grant to a High Point-based nonprofit called I Am Now, which did not apply for public funds this year.

* A $25,000 increase to the African American Atelier art museum over the manager’s recommendation of $50,000. That makes a total of $75,000.

* Eliminating a $25,000 increase that Fox had recommended for the East Market Street Development Corp. The group will receive the same amount of public funds that it did in the current budget, which is $50,000.

Commissioners voted to approve the budget 9-2. Yow and Paul Gibson voted against it.

Contact Gerald Witt at 373-7008 or gerald.witt @news-record.com