Winston‑Salem/Forsyth schools report $46 million shortfall; board warned reductions could eliminate 300–350 positions

Interim Superintendent Caddy Moore told the Winston‑Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education on Aug. 12 that the district faces an approximately $46 million budget shortfall for the 2024–25 fiscal year and an urgent need for reductions to balance the 2025–26 budget. Moore said the district is recommending a minimum of $20 million in reductions for the coming year and that a formal reduction‑in‑force (RIF) could eliminate roughly 300–350 positions.

Moore said the $46 million shortfall includes multiple components: about $16.1 million the district owes three vendors (ESS, SSC and Forsyth County), a roughly $11.3 million adjustment from the state Department of Public Instruction (DPI), $2 million already accessed from Child Nutrition fund balance (the board previously approved up to $6 million), and an $8 million decrease in federal carryover. Moore added other accounting items tied to capital and grant fund balances push the total exposure higher, “somewhere between $60 to $65 million” depending on final audit reconciliations. “We cannot balance the budget without further reductions,” Moore said.

Why this matters: Payroll…