Strategic Plan Update
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education approved goals for the 2026-28 Strategic Plan during its meeting on Tuesday night.
The board members voted to approve general strategies and pillars of engagement after discussing the plan at their meeting on May 26. On Tuesday, Chief Equity Officer Effie McMillian presented them with refined SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timebound) goals based on the board members’ requests for clarification and further community feedback. These goals include:
- 58% of students meeting or exceeding grade level proficiency on EOG tests
- 56% of schools meeting growth expectations and 19% exceeding them
- 90% four-year cohort graduation rate
- 5% reduction in chronic absenteeism
- 3% increase in staff reporting feelings of being valued, supported, and given opportunities to give input on decision making
- 5% increase in retention rate for full-time employees
- 5% increase in stakeholders reporting feelings of safety at school
- And stabilizing enrollment within 3% of the 2026-27 baseline, all by 2028
The full strategic plan has still not been finalized. Following the board’s decision on Tuesday, a public-facing draft will be produced for future community engagement sessions.
Safe & Civil Schools
During the Curriculum Committee meeting, the board members advanced a potential contract with Safe & Civil Schools to provide the district with disciplinary practice support.
WS/FCS is seeking ways to address disproportionately high rates of suspension for Black students, particularly those with disabilities. Safe & Civil Schools would offer professional development for administrators on how to reduce disparities and keep students in the classroom for more total days.
The district is required to allocate 15% of its FY26 IDEA Part B federal funds due to state disproportionality findings. The district’s total funding for CCEIS (Comprehensive Coordinated Early Intervening Services) is roughly $1.9 million, and it must be spent by September of 2027 to avoid penalties. This contract would cost $155,205.24 plus travel expenses.
The full board will consider the contract during its meeting on July 28.
Finance Committee
During the Finance Committee meeting, the board members heard updates on the implementation of Tyler ERP, the district’s new financial management software. The system has been in place for a year now, and Chief Technology Officer Kevin Sherrill says it’s been a successful year.
The software did well during its first full budgeting and financial processes, and it successfully went live with HR personnel actions and recruitment. The system will go live with payroll processing in July. A new employee portal that will replace E-DOCS and offer new functions like internal application services will go live in August.
The district has also made progress in addressing concerns raised by the Office of the State Auditor’s Rapid Response Special Report. Of the eight findings involved, seven have had their corrective action steps completed. The eighth, which involved over-budget purchasing orders, is being resolved through budget controls built into Tyler ERP.
The full OSA corrective action tracking update can be found here. This month’s budget-to-actuals report can be found here.
Action Items
The board considered and approved 13 action items as part of their last regular meeting before their summer break.
These items included contracts for school security officers, financial software, collaboration with the Winston-Salem Symphony, and more, as well as five new financial policies that were advanced at this month’s Policy Committee Meeting.
The full list of action items can be found here. All action items and the consent agenda were approved.
The Board of Education will have a special called meeting at 12 pm on Tuesday, June 30 to approve their financials for the end of the fiscal year. Their next regular meeting will be on Tuesday, July 28.
Committees (Part One and Two):
Full Meeting: