Q. Why do we need to decentralize the district?
A. With a school district the size of Guilford County Schools (GCS), communication is key. By creating regions, communication will become streamlined, which will provide stakeholders – parents, employees, community members and students – more efficient service.

Q. How will regional reorganization impact the community?
A. The reorganization will provide resources closer to schools. Ultimately, there will be regional offices, which parents and the public can visit to receive help with concerns/needs that can’t be handled at the school.

Q. How were the regions decided?
A. Four options of geographic regions were presented to the board on March 10, 2009. The board requested that staff return with the two strongest options at a later date. On March 26, 2009, the board voted for Option 4.

Q. Why does the Southeastern Region have more schools than the Western Region?
A. The regions are geographically contiguous. They consist of elementary, middle and high schools based on current GCS high school feeder patterns. As much as possible, the regions have a comparable number of students and similar ethnic and socioeconomic populations. Current attendance boundaries are not affected.

Q. Will student assignment be affected?
A. No. The regions follow current student assignment boundaries, which is a school board decision.

Q. What about Magnet and Choice Schools?
A. Magnet and choice schools are assigned to the geographic region in which they are located. The application process for magnet and choice schools will not change.

Q. What will be different about how we get information now?
A. By adding regional superintendents, we are increasing accessibility and the flow of two-way communication. Not only will it be easier for your voice to be heard, but it will be easier for you to get information from your administrators. You’ll still receive information directly from Superintendent Green, just like you do now, but you’ll also have a direct path to your key administrators, which increases efficiency and reduces your wait time.

Q. We are in a budget crunch. How much will this cost?
A. Ideally, the reorganization will not impact our budget. The goal is to develop and staff the regional offices by redirecting current budget dollars and positions. In other words, except for some costs associated with the transition, this shift should not require additional funding. In these tough economic times we need to make sure we're using every dollar wisely.

Q. How will the regional offices be staffed?
A. The goal is to staff the regional offices by redirecting current positions. The changes we're making go beyond creating regional offices located at various points throughout Guilford County. As part of this shift, we're reorganizing many other central office departments as well. The goal is to improve the quality of services we provide to our employees and our schools, so that our staff, in turn can provide even better service to our students and parents. Unfortunately, the reorganization of all positions doesn’t match up, but to the greatest extent possible and where the responsibilities match, these positions will be staffed with current GCS employees. Changes will be in place beginning July 1, 2009.

Q. When will the regional offices be ready?
A. Operating procedures will be put in place in May, and the transition process will begin in June. Regional offices should be ready by July 1.

Q. I’m still not clear about something; where can I direct my question?
A. You can e-mail your question to feedback@gcsnc.com. The GCS Web site is full of information regarding the regional reorganization and the Strategic Plan. Check the site often for updates.