Latest news with #WSFCS
Yahoo
6 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
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
School board appoints some new principals
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education has approved several principal appointments at schools throughout the district, including Walkertown Elementary School and Glenn High School. And another of the principals formerly served at East Forsyth Middle School. Stephanie Jordan was approved as principal of Walkertown Elementary. She currently is principal of Wiley Magnet Middle School and previously led Frank Morgan Elementary School and Hanford Dole Elementary School in Rowan County. Under her leadership, schools have consistently met or exceeded growth expectations, and she was recognized as a Top 5 Finalist for WS/FCS Principal of the Year in both 2022 and 2023. Jordan has a doctorate in educational leadership from High Point University and has served in various leadership roles across the district, including president of the Forsyth Principals Association. Walter Johnson will be the new principal of Glenn. He is currently serving as co-principal at Parkland High School, where he has a focus on student engagement, community partnerships, and academic achievement. He previously served as principal of Forbush Middle School in Yadkin County and held assistant principal positions at East Forsyth, Walkertown and Parkland high schools in WS/FCS. Johnson holds an education specialist degree from East Carolina University, a master's in school administration from Appalachian State University, and a bachelor's in middle grades education from Winston-Salem State University. Donald Wyatt, a former principal at East Forsyth Middle, is returning to Sedge Garden, where he previously worked, to be principal there. He joined WS/FCS in 2010 as a teacher at Union Cross Elementary School. Prior to that, he taught in Craven County Schools. He served as assistant principal and then principal of Sedge Garden Elementary School. After his term as principal at East Forsyth Middle, he was principal of Mount Tabor High School.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State auditor's office investigates Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools' finances
FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — Financial distress is how the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction characterized Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools following the 2024 audit. FOX8 received a copy of the letter from State Auditor Dave Boliek that was sent to WS/FCS Superintendent Tricia McManus on April 21. The letter states that the state auditors' office will conduct an investigation of the school district's financial records. According to the audit of 2024, the district is short $16 million. The state auditors' office used strong language in the letter, stating that anyone with any knowledge of fraud should come forward. An investigation has been launched into the WS/FCS budget by the state of North Carolina. In the letter, Boliek informed McManus that the school system is being audited, and it is centered around the district's financial records and transactions, including payroll and use of federal grants. On May 1, the NCDoPI sent a letter to the district with a detailed breakdown showing the school system overspent by $16 million. Where did that money go? That's the question a newly hired financial firm is trying to answer for the district. The state is giving the school system until May 15 to get to the bottom of it. There's a lot on the line for the district. That May 1 letter says the district needs to make changes or face sanctions. North Carolina Board of Education Chairwoman Deanna Kaplan was copied on that letter. She declined to answer questions or provide an interview. She sent the following statement. We are deeply concerned about the issues raised by the State. We want the community to know that the Board is committed to adopting and maintaining a balanced budget. We take this responsibility seriously. Being in good financial standing is something we are all committed to achieving. We will develop a plan to submit to the State Board of Education that will address the financial concerns as well as outline steps to mitigate future budget issues. North Carolina Board of Education Chairwoman Deanna Kaplan Forsyth County Board of Commissioners Chairman Don Martin says he is hopeful the school system can figure it out. 'Because never has the county had to bail out a school district in any situation, and I'm really hoping that's not going to happen in any way this time,' Martin said. Martin said that he doesn't think this will impact the county receiving grants further down the road. 'Doubtful that would be a limitation. Essentially, the district is a large organization that is stable aside from this one little blip at this point. I think that could be corrected and would not inhibit a federal reward in any kind of way,' Martin said. The school system said in an email that they are working with a financial firm to come up with a plan. Martin said he has been invited to sit in on the meeting next week to get a plan underway. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP.
