Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools officials announced Tuesday that they may be forced to eliminate 350 positions amid the district’s ongoing financial crisis.
The news dropped like a bomb the evening before the first day of school at a meeting marked by frustration, heartbreak and lots of tears.
At least $20 million worth of cuts need to be made this year largely due to further reductions in state and federal funding. That’s on top of the $45 million district leaders already cut from this year’s budget.
Interim Superintendent Catty Moore said the only way to reduce spending at this point, is by letting go of people.
“I acknowledge that this recommendation will impact lives, and it will change lives.It will cause uncertainty, anxiety, anger, a myriad of reactions, all valid,” she said, while crying. “And yet it is when we look at the need, a fiscal need for the district. We cannot balance the budget without further reductions.”
Those will affect exceptional children’s teachers, non-instructional support staff, assistant principals and central office positions. The district is also considering eliminating dental insurance for employees.
School board members also shed tears during the meeting. Sabrina Coone said she was sick to her stomach over the cuts. Richard Watts said his heart was broken.
School staff and community members in the audience cried too, like Jenny Easter, the president of the Forsyth County Association of Educators. She spoke about the reductions during the public comment portion of the meeting.
“Usually, I bring the righteous anger,” she began. “Tonight, I've been super emotional.”
Easter urged the school board to keep requesting help from state legislators and county commissioners, although so far, they’ve been rejected.
In a letter to state legislators a couple of weeks ago, the school board requested $50 million to help with the district’s deficit, and warned that “draconian measures” would need to be taken without it. Rep. Donny Lambeth denied the request, saying the ask came too late.
"Good luck in cleaning up the financial disaster. I would buckle up and dig deep to avoid further financial issues,” Lambeth said in his email to the school board.
WFDD requested responses from all of the other legislators who received the request from the district. Rep. Jeff Zenger and Sen. Dana Jones are the only two who shared their replies.
Zenger told the district he has “little faith” in their numbers.
“As bad as the situation is, it is equally troubling with the way this situation has been handled,” Zenger said. “Nobody has been held accountable but there has been no shortage of blame shifting and excuses.”
The state auditor’s office is conducting an investigation of the district’s finances and will have a report soon. But Zenger said there was no way he could ask North Carolina taxpayers to help cover the deficit.
“The system needs an overhaul and the opportunity appears to be at hand,” he said.
The district’s deficit is largely due to being staffed beyond state allotments. Officials say position reductions would have needed to happen for years to align with the reductions in state funding and declining enrollment.
In addition to overspending on staff, the district failed to adjust the budget to reflect county funding coming in at $13 million less than requested, didn’t properly budget for $12 million in substitute costs, and made inaccurate financial projections regarding charter school payments and state funding.
Sen. Dana Jones called this a “gross mishandling of public dollars” in her response to the district’s request for assistance.
“It is now the school board’s responsibility to work through the difficult financial choices ahead and rebuild credibility with the public before seeking state help,” she wrote.
But Easter, and other teachers, say the lack of financial support from legislators won’t be a punishment to the district leaders who were in charge at the time the deficit was discovered — former Chief Financial Officer Thomas Kranz and Superintendent Tricia McManus both left the district months ago.
“Their refusal in providing the necessary funding that affects tens of thousands of their constituents is a decision with real consequences,” Easter said. “And our district deserves leaders who will demand more from those controlling the purse strings.”
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education will meet on Aug. 19 to consider implementing the reduction in force.