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Superintendent previews $35.1 million amendment; board approves bond projects and HVAC contract

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education · January 14, 2026
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Summary

Superintendent Don Phipps reviewed FY2026 budget amendment and transfer No. 8 totaling about $35.1 million—largely federal grant carryover—and staff answered questions about state and local fund coding. The board approved a consent agenda (unanimous), capital bond projects (7–1) and an HVAC design contract (unanimous).

Superintendent Don Phipps and district finance staff reviewed budget amendment and transfer number 8 covering activity from Nov. 21 through Dec. 19, 2025, describing a roughly $35.1 million net change driven primarily by federal grant carryover.

Phipps told the board, "It looks like a large amount, and it certainly is. It's $35,000,000 increase, but the lion's share of that is a federal grants fund of $30,546,000," and explained that some lines are carryovers while others are state allotments for bonuses and grants. The presentation included line items for Pre-K (Smart Start) and other specific revenue funds and emphasized the district's intent to avoid reverting funds back to the state.

Board members pressed staff for clarity about payroll coding and the practice of moving positions between local and state funding. A member asked whether monthly reporting could show moves "from local to state," and finance staff offered to generate exports and pivot-table reports that would show payroll assignments by funding source to provide transparency.

On action items, the board approved a seven-item consent agenda unanimously, including prior budget amendment and transfer number 7, a child nutrition loan agreement addendum, policy 33-30 on contract administration, the 2026–27 early college and middle college academic calendar and meeting minutes.

Votes at a glance: - Consent agenda (7 items): Approved unanimously. - Capital bond projects (Carver High, North Forsyth High, Grifola/Mission School): Approved 7–1. - Design contract with SKA for West Forsyth cafeteria HVAC: Approved unanimously.

What happens next: Amendment and transfer number 8 was presented as a discussion item and will return to the board as an action item at an upcoming meeting. Finance staff said they would work to provide clearer reporting on payroll assignments and fund coding as requested by board members.