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Classes begin today for the majority of Guilford County children. Below is a guide to some of the changes to the school system and a look at this year’s numbers.

Costs and fees

• Lunch Prices: Parents will need to toss a few more coins in their kids’ pockets this fall to eat in the cafeteria. Lunch this year is $2.30 for elementary students, $2.40 for middle school students and $2.50 for high school students. Breakfast is 90 cents for elementary students and $1 for middle and high school students. School officials expect more families than ever will need help paying for meals; about half of the system’s 170,000 students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Applications for lunch fee waivers are available at every school and can also be found online at http://gcsnc.com/depts/school_nutrition/index.htm.
• ACES costs: The fee for ACES, the after-school care and tutoring program run by the school system, increased this year from $40 per week to $46.
• AP exam fees: Parents must share at least some of the cost for Advanced Placement exams this year. The district previously paid about $86 apiece, but this year parents must pay $21.50. The district and a cooperative of local businesses will pay the rest. Families can also apply for fee waivers. To learn more log on to www.gcsnc.com/news/news_detail.aspx?n_id=854 .

Rules and regulations

• Athletics policies: Prompted by ineligible student athletes at Northern High, the school board is enacting two new policies governing coaches and student-athletes.
• Uniform dress code: This year, Foust Elementary will join 38 other schools who adhere to a uniform dress code, These schools have specific standards for what students can wear. To find a list of schools with specific dress codes, log on to http://gcsnc.com/parents/smod.htm.

Organizational

• Regional superintendents: Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green has created several regional superintendent positions to improve contact with parents and teachers. The county has four regions, each led by a regional superintendent. They have offices in their regions so if you have concerns you can go straight to them for help. For more information, log on to http://gcsnc.com/regions.htm.
• Bus stops: The school board consolidated more than 900 bus stops this year as a result of budget cuts. Only high school and middle school students are affected. To locate your child’s bus stop, log on to http://gcsnc.com/transportation/searcham0708.asp.

Figures

• Enrollment: School system officials estimate about 71,079 students will enroll in the county’s 120 schools.
• New hires: Despite eliminating hundreds of positions, the school system hired 155 teachers this summer and will employ about 4,900 teachers.

Contact J. Brian Ewing at 373-7351 or brian.ewing@news-record.com