Winston-Salem/Forsyth board approves staff cuts after state audit finds long-running financial problems; parents, teachers protest EC reductions

The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education voted 6–3 Aug. 19 to approve a reduction-in-force proposal intended to close an immediate budget shortfall identified in an investigatory audit by the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor. The board also approved a superintendent search firm and a fiscal-year 2026 budget amendment during the meeting.

The vote followed a presentation of the auditor’s findings and a three-hour public-comment period in which dozens of parents, teachers and school leaders urged the board to avoid cuts to Exceptional Children (EC) staff and assistant principals. Interim Superintendent Caddy Moore told the board the audit found repeated weaknesses dating back to 2017 and that the district is “in a deep financial hole.” Moore said the combination of a state allotment reduction, lower federal carryover and prior-year fund-balance use creates roughly the minimum $18 million in reductions the district must address before the board can adopt a balanced 2025–26 budget.

Why it matters: The district’s plan would change the terms of employment for many positions, eliminate some school- and central-office roles and impose a tiered furlough for central-office employees, while leaving key EC itinerant services and related therapists (speech, physical and occupational) out of the proposed cuts. Public commenters said reducing EC positions threatens legal compliance under IDEA and student services that many families rely on.

Administrators stressed the changes are tied to…