Winston Salem/Forsyth board outlines interim superintendent priorities, timeline

The Winston Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education discussed qualifications, priorities and a tentative schedule for selecting an interim superintendent and voted to go into closed session to begin candidate discussions.

Chief legal counsel Dion Jenkins told the board it has broad discretion in choosing an interim and that state education officials must be notified if the board enters a contract. "You have very wide latitude in who you select to be your interim superintendent," Jenkins said, and reminded members the interim must be sworn in if hired to act as a public official on behalf of the district.

Board members repeatedly said the top operational priority for an interim should be preparing the district to open schools on time in August, including hiring, transportation and facilities readiness. Several members also urged that whoever is selected should be able to address the district's budget and financial shortfalls while stabilizing day-to-day operations.

Vice Chair Bohannon said the interim should help make the district "more attractive" to high-quality permanent candidates by attending to finances and operational practices now. "I personally don't think it's a good practice to have any potential candidate for the full superintendent role serve as interim," Bohannon added, saying he preferred an interim who focuses on stabilization rather than competing as a finalist for the permanent role.

Board members expressed differing views on whether the interim must have prior superintendent experience. Some members said they would prefer a retired superintendent with prior district leadership and experience handling financial deficits; others said strong executive leadership and familiarity with this district could be sufficient and that requiring prior superintendent service might narrow the pool.

The board discussed the practicalities of hiring retired leaders, including potential limits from the state retirement system on hours and earnings. Jenkins said those rules exist and would need review with human resources if a retired superintendent were appointed. Board members also asked about the interim's authority to approve contracts; Jenkins said an interim would generally have the same contract authorities as a permanent superintendent, subject to board-set thresholds and any board-imposed restrictions.

Jenkins presented a tentative schedule: board discussion and an initial closed-session screening now, a possible closed-session meeting on May 13 to finalize contract terms if candidates are identified, and public board approval on May 27 with a target start date around June 1. Several members cautioned that the May dates are tentative and that end-of-year events (graduations, staff obligations) could make that timeline tight.

After discussion, the board voted to go into closed session to discuss a personnel matter and began that process. The meeting later concluded with a unanimous adjournment vote.