Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools has a newly established foundation to support the district with additional funding.
During a Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, Dana Caudill Jones, a representative from the new Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Education Foundation, said the district had discussed starting a foundation like this for more than a decade.
"And for whatever reason, it was just not the right time. But now was the right time to make this happen," Jones said. "And so the foundation, again, is just set up to support the work and the policies that you all put in place.”
That support includes securing additional resources for the district through fundraising, various collaborations, and philanthropic partnerships. The money will go back into the schools, starting with $50,000 in grants that will be given out next year.
The first cycle will begin in January. Jones said teachers can apply to receive grants of up to $1,000 each to enhance their classrooms.
“The second cycle is what we were calling 'enrichment grants.' And so it could be workshops that the teacher feels like that she needs to attend, it could be field trips, or a speaker that's going to come in to talk to that class,” Jones said.
Jones said that a website for the foundation will go live in July. That’s also when the organization will announce dates and information about applying for grant funding.
Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.