Cook Literacy Model School Will Close
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education voted to close Cook Literacy Model School at the end of the school year during its meeting on Tuesday night.
The school will close in June of 2026, the property will be surplused, and staff at the school will be given priority transfers to other schools in the district. Residential boundaries will be redrawn to send current residential Cook students to Ashley Academy, Brunson Elementary School, and Kimberely Park Elementary School starting in the 2026-27 school year.
Cook currently hosts 186 students, about one third of its estimated capacity of 500. It’s also 75 years old and due for renovations or replacement. It would cost an estimated $50 million to build a new school. The new Brunson is already under construction in the area, and a new Ashley may be built close by in the near future too. Cook has a property tax value of $2,558,100 and requires an average of $1,203,400 in administrative staff and annual operations expenses.
SSC Awarded 10-Year Custodial Contract
The board agreed to a 10-year contract with SSC for custodial services, an arrangement that will eliminate $4.2 million worth of the district’s debt.
The district owes SSC the money dating back to December 2024 for non-payment of continued services, constituting one of the three largest debts the district owed to a single vendor. However, SSC agreed to forgive the debt over time as part of a new long-term contract with the district. The contract will cost the district $16.8 million per year and will see SSC take charge of most custodial staffing. The board may negotiate addendums to the contract once a year.
WS/FCS will also pay $1.5 million for 35 in-house custodial employees, substitute custodians, and management and supply expenses, making the total cost of the arrangement $18.3 million per year. The district currently pays $20.5 million per year for all the same services, although with more spending on in-house staffing and less on contracted services.
WS/FCS will initiate a reduction in force of custodial staff in order to transition these employees to SSC. All personnel will be offered positions with SSC at their current rate, position, and location.
Elementary HAG May Move to One Site
The Highly Academically Gifted (HAG) program has operated at two elementary sites – Brunson and Southwest Elementary School – since the 2015 expansion due to increased student identification. However, enrollment is trending downward, with more families choosing to wait until middle school to start with HAG. In response, the superintendent is considering shifting to a single elementary HAG site at Brunson beginning in the 2026–27 school year.
Brunson was the only HAG elementary school site until 2015, and as a magnet school, it can provide seamless transportation to students who attend without extra costs.
Salary Schedules Stay the Same
The district’s salary schedules will remain the same as the current fiscal year because the state has not passed a new budget yet. Licensed employees received their annual step increase on the state salary schedule following the approval of the mini budget in August, along with the corresponding local supplement step increase.
Budget Updates
The board heard updates from Interim Superintendent Catty Moore about the state of the budget and from Auditor Tyler Baity about Forvis Mazars’ ongoing audit of the district.More details from these presentations will be available in this Friday’s Community Budget Update. Previous Community Budget Updates can be viewed here.
The Board of Education will meet again on Monday, November 10. Due to the Veterans Day Holiday, this meeting will not be held on a Tuesday.