Latest news with #ForsythCounty
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools letter outlines 2 proposals to deal with deficit
FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools superintendent sent a letter to the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners on Thursday. It included two possible ways to pay off the $42 million budget deficit. The school district overspent by about 5.3%. It's a deficit that Forsyth County commissioners like Gloria Whisenhunt shared their frustrations about during a Thursday meeting. 'I've never seen anything this bad. I really have not, and I don't know how they can expect our property owners to solve their problems. They talked about how some of them aren't sleeping at night. Well, some of us aren't sleeping at night either,' Whisenhunt said. Of the $42 million the school district owes, according to a spokesperson, about $18 million is owed to the state, and there's $24 million in local funds that need to be repaid. The letter Tricia McManus sent to county leaders detailed two options on how they could get out of the financial hole. The first option would include a one-time payment of $32.1 million, which county leaders would have to give them. The funds would go towards the $42 million shortfall. If county commissioners deny the first option, the second includes setting aside $14.1 million out of the proposed $180 million the district is asking county leaders for the next fiscal year. A spokesperson for the school system said the $14.1 million would go towards the $24 million owed in local funds. When it comes to paying back the state, district leaders plan to negotiate a payment plan. When FOX8 asked how the school district plans to pay the remaining debt, a spokesperson said they're still figuring that out. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Interim WS/FCS leader faces funding chasm
A member of the N.C. State Board of Education who has experience as a superintendent is stepping in to help lead the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools deal with a deficit that has exploded in recent weeks to nearly $80 million. Catty Quiroz Moore will serve as interim superintendent while the WS/FCS Board of Education works to hire a permanent replacement for Superintendent Tricia McManus, who will retire at the end of June, WS/FCS announced Tuesday night. Moore has spent more than three decades in North Carolina public schools. She currently serves as an at-large member of the State Board of Education and recently completed a term as interim superintendent of Durham Public Schools, where she provided critical leadership during a time of fiscal uncertainty, a WS/FCS press release said. From 2018 to 2023, Moore was the superintendent of the Wake County Public School System, the largest district in North Carolina. 'Fiscal uncertainty' barely begins to describe the problems facing WS/FCS, which have compounded alarmingly the past two months. What had been announced in March as an $8 million deficit facing the school district for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, now has become $42 million, according to a May 22 letter McManus sent the State Board of Education. The school board will entirely drain its unspent reserves and will still owe the state of North Carolina $18 million, the letter said. In addition, what had been in March a projected $16 million deficit in the fiscal year that begins July 1 has more than doubled. McManus told the school board Tuesday more than $23 million in cuts, which include a reduction of over 200 positions, has been identified for the 2025-26 fiscal year, but school officials are seeking another $13 million. Among cuts under consideration, McManus said: Eliminating transportation for elementary and middle school students attending choice, or magnet, schools would save the district $3.5 million; increasing class sizes by one student would save approximately $3.5 million; and increasing class sizes by two students would save about $6.6 million. Other possible measures include not completely covering employees' dental insurance, which the district currently does; eliminating out-of-state travel; eliminating staff cellphones; doing only black-and-white printing; and ending the waxing of school floors except for corridors. Two school board members, Robert Barr and Susan Miller, called for firing McManus and said that Chief Financial Officer Thomas Kranz should have been fired rather than allowed to resign on May 9. Barr said he often hears from local residents upset about the district's budget shortfalls. 'Our CFO was allowed to resign. In reality, he should not have been able to resign,' Barr said. 'He should be terminated.' Miller suggested firing McManus on the spot, but her motion violated the school board's rules of order, so it did not come to a vote. Board member Richard Watts called suggestion of firing McManus 'political grandstanding.' In a press conference after the meeting, board vice chair Alex Bohannon said firing McManus would be an overreaction. 'I think it can be very easy to look at ... the simple solution, which is, 'I need to find a single person to be able to blame for this, and then I need to hold them accountable and hold their feet to the fire,' and I understand that completely,' Bohannon said. 'I also would say that, like school system finance, the answer to that is really nuanced.'
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sewer work to close two roads in coming days
Work continues on the Kernersville Sewer Rehabilitation project and will lead to two street closures in the comping week. A contractor will close the following streets on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting Tuesday, May 27: Branchwood Drive between both intersections with Beaucrest Road. West Mountain Street between Beaucrest Street and Oakhurst Street. Work is expected to be completed by Friday, May 30, weather permitting. The contractor is responsible for all traffic control. Motorists are encouraged to avoid the area and plan for alternate routes. Details on Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities capital improvement projects are posted at For more information, contact CityLink using any method at Subscribe to Alert Center and News Flash for Utilities updates at
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Forsyth County family mourns 4-year-old killed in ATV wreck
A Forsyth County family is grieving the loss of 4-year-old Ricardo 'Ricky' Hernandez after a tragic ATV crash on Sunday evening. According to the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office, the crash happened around 7:45 p.m. on Valley Stream Drive near Campground Road. Investigators say a 16-year-old boy was driving an ATV with Ricky as a passenger when he attempted to make a sharp right turn at a high speed. The vehicle overturned, throwing both boys from the ATV. Neither was wearing a helmet. Emergency crews arrived to find Ricky unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The teen driver was taken to North Fulton Medical Center, where he spent time in the ICU before being released earlier this week. TRENDING STORIES: Ronald Acuña Jr. hits long homer on first pitch in his return to Braves after missing 1 year Showers, storms ahead for Memorial Day weekend Murder suspect shoots girlfriend in head in East Point, goes on 2-state crime spree, police say The sheriff's office said the crash remains under investigation by its Traffic Specialist Unit. The accident occurred during what was supposed to be a joyous occasion for the Hernandez family — a high school graduation celebration. Ricky's older brother, Jose Hernandez, says the 4-year-old was full of life and joy, especially when riding his own mini-ATV. 'He loved dinosaurs, monster trucks, and of course all the ATV stuff,' Jose Hernandez said. 'Every morning, you could just hear the little electric thing going, zooming by.' Now, a memorial grows in the neighborhood to honor Ricky, whose infectious smile and energy touched many. 'He was just so caring and happy, and he wants everybody to be like that,' Jose Hernandez said. 'He might be gone, but he's never going to be forgotten.' In the days following the crash, neighbors and community members have stepped in to help, providing meals and emotional support. A A GoFundMe has also been launched to help the family with funeral and medical expenses.
Fox News
20-05-2025
- Fox News
Body of missing father of five found in Georgia lake after kayaking trip
The body of a father of five who vanished last week while kayaking on a Georgia lake has been discovered underwater, police said. Dustin Valencia, 43, was reported missing Wednesday by his wife after he did not show up to pick up his children from school, the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office said. A search ensued and authorities tracked his last location to Lake Lanier in Georgia, where they found Valencia's car parked nearby, along with his flip-flops and the bag used to store his inflatable kayak. On Friday, the department announced that game wardens with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, using sonar equipment, located a body in the lake. Divers from the Forsyth County Fire Department recovered the remains from about 51 feet of water near the center of a cove. On Monday, the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office confirmed the body was that of Valencia. In the days following his disappearance, Valencia's kayak and paddle were found floating near the outer edge of the cove. Friends say he was training for a triathlon and had likely gone kayaking for exercise. Authorities said the 43-year-old kayaker was not wearing a life vest at the time of his drowning. "My understanding is that he was not wearing a life vest," an official said, according to Fox News affiliate WAGA-TV. "Even strong swimmers can have a medical emergency or cramp. If that happens, and you're not wearing a life jacket, you're at serious risk." An official cause of death has not been released. The case remains under investigation by the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit. The sheriff's office referred Fox News Digital to the department's press release. "Please continue to share [and] pray," a GoFundMe for the family said. "The Valencia family feels your love and strength, and they are deeply grateful for the community that surrounds them." Lake Lanier, where Valencia disappeared, is home to a popular local legend. The ghost story of the Lady of the Lake involves a woman in a blue dress who is said to haunt the lake after dying in a car accident there in the 1950s. The man-made lake has a maximum depth of about 160 feet and was created in the 1950s by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
