Curriculum Committee
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education heard the good news about the district’s latest batch of accountability data during their work session on Tuesday night.
The latest academic performance data from the state boasts plenty of positive developments for WS/FCS. Six schools came off the low-performing list, and 13 improved their overall letter grades by at least one letter. Third grade reading outcomes were the highest they’ve been in a decade, and all academic areas saw improvement beyond pre-pandemic levels. WS/FCS also saw its second highest cohort graduation rate ever, with 86.3% of students that started high school in the 2022-23 school year graduating on time.
These results would give the district plenty to celebrate even in a normal year. Considering the lingering impact of learning loss brought on by the pandemic and the disruptions to the district’s workforce and programming caused by last year’s budget deficit, the data paints a picture of remarkable resiliency. District leaders hope the community will take this year’s data as a sign of the district’s commitment to excellence in education, even during trying times.
“Despite the challenges the district faced in the 2025-26 school year, student achievement and growth improved,” said Assistant Superintendent Andrew Kraft. “This outcome shows the strength of our school system and provides great hope for our future.”
The Curriculum Committee also discussed ways to improve proficiency among students with disabilities and advanced plans for beginning teacher support and funding for math tutoring to the full board.
Finance Committee
The Finance Committee heard an update on the implementation of Tyler ERP, the district’s new payroll software solution.
The software has been put to the test with August payroll, and the results were positive, with less than a 1% discrepancy between budgeted payroll and actual spending. Staff are still working in the old system as well right now to protect against these errors. Tyler will be the sole system beginning with October payroll, and Assistant Superintendent of Technology Kevin Sherrill is confident it will be ready in time.
Sherrill also gave a shoutout to the entire payroll team who has worked on this implementation. Performing payroll in both an old and a new system at once is a massive amount of work, and the team has turned in great results under stressful circumstances.
“The amount of work going into the system, we knew it would be a heavy lift,” Sherrill said. “They really rose to the occasion.”
The Finance Committee also advanced a contract with Communication Access Partners to provide ASL interpreting services for full board approval. This month’s budget-to-actuals report can be viewed here.
Buildings and Grounds Committee
The Buildings and Grounds Committee set a date for a public hearing on the renaming of The Special Children’s School.
The board members decided earlier this year to end their lease with the Center for Exceptional Children on the current TSCS campus. Beginning in the 2027-28 school year, TSCS will operate out of Ward Elementary School. Because CFEC owns the name “The Special Children’s School”, the school will have to use a new name after it relocates.
Even though the school won’t have a campus to themselves anymore, it’s important to their community and to district leaders that they’re able to maintain a unique sense of identity so that families feel connected to the program. Staff are already speaking with the community about potential names, and the public hearing on various options will be part of the board meeting on October 13.
The Buildings and Grounds Committee also discussed replacing school buses, new contracts for architectural and engineering services, and the 2027-28 academic calendar.
Policy Committee
The Policy Committee adopted a landing page for the district’s new online policy manual.
The district’s policy manual is entering a yearslong conversion process to meet standards set forth by the North Carolina School Boards’ Association. All policies should be fully converted by November of 2028. In the meantime, the district will maintain both its current policy manual and the draft of the new one. The landing page notice, which can be viewed here, explains the conversion process and rules regarding discrepancies between the two manuals.
The Policy Committee also discussed changes to policy regarding challenged educational materials and the latest developments in the General Assembly.
New Business
WS/FCS recently issued a request for proposals for firms to audit the Central Office and propose options for improving organizational efficiency. A district review committee evaluated and scored proposals form two firms and suggested contracting with Prismatic Services, Inc. The board will negotiate with Prismatic Services, Inc. to determine details of service, including the exact timeframe and cost of service.
The Board of Education will meet again for their next full meeting on Tuesday, September 22.