Winston-Salem/Forsyth board approves RIF plan after months of public pleas for funding

The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education voted 5-3 on April 8 to implement a reduction in force (RIF) for the 2025–26 school year after a night of public comments pressing the board to seek more local funding rather than cut staff.

Board Chair Deanna Kaplan called the motion; Board Member Wood moved and Board Member Miller seconded the motion. The vote followed public remarks from dozens of parents, teachers and advocates who urged the board to present a no-cut, no-formula budget to the Forsyth County commissioners and to keep classroom and student-facing positions intact.

The superintendent’s recommendation and HR presentation laid out why district leaders said reductions were necessary now. Superintendent Tricia McManus and Chief Human Resources Officer Dr. Chris Weichardt told the board the district faces an ongoing mismatch between revenues and personnel costs. McManus said the district used about $13 million from fund balance last year and that continuing past spending patterns would leave the district at risk entering FY2026. Weichardt said the package the board approved includes 81 position changes overall, of which 42 are current employees who would be reassigned, demoted or otherwise impacted under the RIF protocol; the district projects roughly $7 million in total savings from the package and about $4.2 million in direct personnel savings tied to the positions identified for reduction.

Public commenters framed the budget discussion as a funding fight involving multiple levels of government. Jennifer Leahy, Matthew Poston, Amy Taylor North and others urged the board to “ask” the county commissioners for more than a net-neutral property tax plan and to avoid what speakers described as a permanent funding ceiling if the county adopts a formula-based approach. Kwame Kia Shaffer, founder of the Pink Boat, said the district faced a "$16,000,000 deficit" and asked the board to show parents how they can advocate at county hearings. Union representatives, including an unnamed speaker introduced as president of the Forsyth County Association of Educators (FCAE), urged the board not to approve layoffs and to protect special education and counseling staff.

Board members pressed administration on alternatives before the vote. Several members sought detail on non-personnel reductions, fundraising and contractual savings; Chief Financial Officer Thomas Kranz and McManus said staff had already trimmed non-personnel budgets and were preparing a more detailed list of one-time and ongoing savings for a budget workshop the board scheduled for the following week. McManus said senior administrators had volunteered furlough days and noted district expenditures last year that included $4.5 million in teacher bonuses and $2.5 million in local longevity payments.

Weichardt described the RIF process required under board policy: the district will first seek to absorb reductions through attrition and vacancies, then reassign qualified employees to open positions where possible. He said HR would notify impacted employees immediately and would hold affected staff harmless through July to give them time to consider reassignment options; employees who apply for vacant positions for which they meet minimum qualifications would be given priority without a new interview process, he said. Weichardt also said nine of the employees on the list face a large difference between their current role and potential alternate positions and that those cases are likely to be more consequential for the individuals affected.

Opponents on the board raised process and transparency concerns during discussion. Board Member Barr said he was uncomfortable voting without additional monthly budget-to-actual reporting; Board Member Miller asked that future meetings include regular fund-balance updates. Board Member Crowley cited uneven reporting in past months and said she could not vote for the RIF until she had greater confidence in the district’s financial stewardship. Vice Chair Bohannon and other board members said delaying the vote would limit HR’s ability to place impacted employees into vacancies and would increase the likelihood of deeper cuts later.

After debate the board approved the superintendent’s RIF plan by a 5–3 vote. The board directed administration to supply a fuller list of non-personnel savings and to provide monthly budget-to-actual updates going forward. HR will begin one-on-one meetings with impacted employees as early as the next day, Weichardt said.

Votes at a glance - Implement reduction in force for FY2026 — Motion moved by Board Member Wood, seconded by Board Member Miller; outcome: approved 5–3. (Formal roll-call names not recorded in the public minutes.) - FY2025 budget amendment number 9 — approved unanimously. - Acceptance/appropriation of FY2024–25 NC Center for Safer Schools grant — approved unanimously (see separate article on safety grant). - Emergency tunnel repair at East Forsyth High School (2016 bond project) — approved unanimously. - Southwest Elementary gym HVAC contract — approved unanimously. - Hanes Magnet School gym HVAC contract — approved unanimously. - Mt. Tabor High School track renovation contract — approved unanimously. - General personnel report (consent agenda) — approved unanimously.

The board scheduled a budget workshop for the following week to review additional savings, projected revenues and the district’s “ASK” to the county commissioners; McManus said any additional requests to the county would be prepared collaboratively with the board.