Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools is cutting positions in light of the district’s financial crisis. But impacted school librarians say losing their expertise will cost more than it saves. 

Officials say the classrooms being closed have been under capacity for the last few years. 

The latest map, which incorporated feedback from thousands of stakeholders, decreases driving distances by about a mile on average and only rezones about 12% of students. 

District officials say the Psychological Services department completed 447 suicide safety assessments this year— a 5% increase from the year before. 

At a school board meeting on Tuesday, Interim Superintendent Catty Moore identified about $45 million in cost savings for next year’s budget. But she warned that the district may owe federal withholding payments to the IRS, which could mean this year's shortfall is higher than projected.

Commissioners did say they were willing to establish a payment plan for the school district to meet its more than $5 million in unpaid obligations to the county for school resource officers, nurses, fuel and lease payments. 

The new interim superintendent, Catty Moore, has worked in public education for more than 30 years and is currently a member of the North Carolina State Board of Education. She also previously served as the superintendent of the Wake County Public School System. 

The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education opted not to ask the county for more money to cover the $13 million in cuts the district needs to make to avoid a deficit. But at the budget hearing, teachers took matters into their own hands.