Superintendent Dr. Ryan Sachs told Berkeley County School families in an address at Martinsburg High School that the district eliminated 10 district office positions, saving “nearly $1,000,000 annually,” and will reinvest those savings into classrooms as construction funded by the 2022 school bond continues across the district.

The announcement came as Sachs described active building projects and upcoming work at multiple schools and cited academic progress and ongoing operational reviews. “These projects represent a shared commitment to growth and excellence in our community,” Sachs said, adding that the district is updating transportation routes and revisiting a 10-year capital improvement plan.

Why it matters: the staffing change, the capital projects and the planned reinvestment affect classroom resources, student capacity and district budgets. Bond-funded construction and the reallocation of administrative savings were presented as linked elements of the district’s strategy to support instruction and manage capacity.

Sachs said construction is underway or planned at several campuses, naming Martinsburg High School, Tomahawk Intermediate, Hedgesville Early Learning Academy, Mountain Ridge Primary and Inwood Early Learning Academy. He said the district will soon break ground on a new Falling Waters Elementary School, “a new school designed to serve up to 1,000 students.”

On academics, Sachs said the district saw an “estimated 7 point improvement district wide” in math and said literacy outcomes still need work. He described investments in the “science of reading and enhanced grade level support” to raise reading performance.

Sachs described his first full year as superintendent as focused on listening and alignment, referencing “100 conversations in 100 days” and “a survey of over 2,000 voices” from students, staff, families and community members. He said those inputs and work with employee associations informed strategic restructuring intended to align the district “from the boardroom to the classroom.”

On transportation, Sachs said the district initiated a transportation efficiency study and is beginning to update bus routes, saying the changes “will improve reliability, better support for our staff, and reduce costs.”

The superintendent’s remarks framed the elimination of central-office positions as an administrative restructuring and a source of funds to reinvest; the transcript does not record a board vote or formal board action on the staffing reductions. Similarly, the transportation study and capital-plan revisions were described as underway or planned, not as completed policy actions.

Sachs closed by thanking staff, students and the community and saying he will share opportunities for community engagement on the capital plan “this fall.”