The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School Board is sending a formal request to state legislators to help the district reconcile its $46 million deficit.
Board of Education Chair Deanna Kaplan says the move comes after having several discussions about the district’s finances with the local delegation over the last few months.
“It was made very clear that we need to have a formal ask for the needed funds in the form of a letter," she said at a meeting on Tuesday.
Some members of the public questioned why a letter wasn’t sent sooner. Part of the holdup, Kaplan says, was that officials were still determining how much of a deficit they were dealing with.
The latest number is $46 million— up by about $4 million due to additional invoices that came in late in the fiscal year.
The board unanimously voted to send legislators a request for help, but the details of the letter won’t be shared publicly until it’s been sent.
The district also requested $8.5 million from county commissioners last week. A decision on that ask will be made on Aug. 14.