Guilford County Passes Tax Measure for Teacher Pay

Guilford County voters approved a quarter-cent local sales tax on Tuesday, ending years of failed attempts to implement the measure. The new tax will require shoppers to pay an additional $0.25 on every $100 of eligible purchases. Officials estimate the measure will generate roughly $30 million annually for local government operations.

The ballot language specified exactly how the revenue would be distributed, a detail absent in previous campaigns. Seventy percent of the funds will be directed to teacher salary supplements. The Guilford County Board of Education stated that higher supplements would help the district recruit and retain high-quality educators. The remaining revenue is split among other priorities, with 18% designated for firefighter equipment and 8% allocated to Guilford Technical Community College. The balance will support five municipalities in the county.

Voters at the polls cited the need to support educators who struggle to afford housing and food. Eyanna Davis, who supported the tax, said she wanted to ensure her younger siblings would not lose access to learning because teachers could not afford to live in the area. “I have a lot of younger siblings, and they like learning, and I don't want that to be stripped away from them because the teachers can't afford to live,” Davis said. John Haught, another voter, noted that he knows teachers who experience food scarcity. “I know teachers that know food scarcity, which is just wrong,” Haught said.

The measure received support from nearly 63% of voters. The county has previously tried and failed to pass this tax several times. The specific allocation of funds in the ballot language appeared to secure the necessary majority this time.