Residential Boundaries Approved
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education approved a plan for new residential boundaries during its meeting on Tuesday night. The new maps will be used for the first time in the 2027-28 school year.
Boundary revisions will place about 11.7% of all student addresses in new zones. Families will be notified in the fall if their address is withing a new school boundary. Those families can opt to stay at their current school if they can provide their own transportation.
The current residential zones have been in place for about 30 years, and population shifts have made transportation less efficient. The new maps will save an average of 1.19 miles per bus route, reduce the number of students spilt from their peers when they move on to middle or high school, and improve socioeconomic diversity of the school populations by 5.1%.
“This work is necessary maintenance on out-of-date boundaries that will aid in any future changes to the landscape of our district,” said Executive Director of Choice and Magnet Frank Pantano.
More information on the boundary revision project can be found here.
TCC and TSCS Facility Exploration
During the Buildings & Grounds Committee meeting, the board members discussed the ongoing facility exploration and potential location transition for The Children’s Center and The Special Children’s School.
WS/FCS leases the buildings from the Center for Exceptional Children, and the district is facing an upcoming deadline to decide whether to end or renegotiate those leases.
The district has sought feedback from staff members, families, and community partners at these schools to decide whether to relocate the program and services. TCC and TSCS are the only current locations in WS/FCs that implement the Developmental Day program.
The committee heard four options from staff and decided to recommend another alternative.
They recommended holding a public hearing on the option of relocating TSCS to Middle Fork as a Pre-K Center in 2027-28, with a new name. TCC would remain at the CFEC facility under a new lease to continue supporting medically fragile school-aged children.
The Board of Education will hold a public hearing on this option during their meeting on Tuesday, May 26.
Chief Academic Officer Dr. Paula Wilkins emphasized that the board’s decision-making process is ongoing and that families still have more opportunities to share their thoughts on how the district should proceed.
“No final decisions have been made,” Wilkins said. “There will be additional discussions and follow-ups by the Board of Education at the next board meeting and potentially additional meetings.”
TCC and TSCS families can provide their opinions on the recommended option by completing a survey distributed directly to families.
The New Ashley Academy
The Buildings & Grounds Committee also heard an update on the new Ashley Academy campus. Balfour Beatty, the project’s general contractor, has completed the first stage of estimation services for the new Ashley project. They estimate the 12,100-square-foot facility will cost $5,501,241, or roughly $454.56 per square foot.
Balfour Beatty and WS/FCS staff have begun review of the itemized estimation – viewable here – and are evaluating options to reduce costs if the board deems it necessary. No action was taken on the plans during this meeting.
Capital Project Planning
The Buildings & Grounds Committee also heard an update on the current bond and capital funds available to the district to support facility needs.
Staff recently prepared a six-year plan that includes roughly $1.2 billion worth of infrastructure improvement needs to share with the county. County staff are currently evaluating the landscape to determine plans for future funding.
Board members will spend the next few weeks deliberating capital project priorities and will meet for a bond and capital planning workshop on Tuesday, June 16.
Board Schedule Public Comment
During the Policy Committee meeting, the board members advanced a policy change that would alter their regular meeting schedule. Changes to Policy 9000 will be up for public comment at an upcoming meeting.
The board currently has two committee meetings and a regular full meeting twice a month. Under the new proposed schedule, the board would have a longer full meeting once a month and all four committees would meet on one separate day. Shifting to a monthly model would bring WS/FCS more in line with board schedules across the state, but it would also reduce the number of public comment periods available in any given month.
The policy changes would also incorporate a new state law that adopted staggered terms for Board of Education members.
Strategic Plan
During their full meeting, the board members heard an update on the district’s next strategic plan.
The next strategic plan began development in fall of 2024 but was paused last spring while the board focused on budgetary matters. Work resumed earlier this year, and district staff have been hard at work engaging stakeholders for more feedback. The current draft of the plan is centered on providing rigorous, comprehensive educational opportunities for students, a supportive and fulfilling work environment for employees, and a stronger sense of communication and connectedness for families.
The board will discuss the plan further during its workshop on Tuesday, May 19. Pending approval, it will be implemented this August. The draft plan can be viewed here.
The Board of Education will have their next regular meeting on Tuesday, May 26.
Committee Meetings:
Full Meeting: