NC Senate Budget Would Slash $10 Million from Winston-Salem Schools – 278 Jobs Lost

By Staff
According to the Winston-Salem Forsyth County School System, the proposed budget released by the NC Senate Wednesday would cost our local schools more than $10 million in additional funding cuts, according to preliminary estimates from the district’s finance department.

The Senate’s budget dramatically increases teacher pay for those who choose to give up their career status and longevity bonuses, but it cuts funding for teacher assistants, teaching positions, transportation and districts’ central office staff.

Here at home the proposed reductions would equal about $8.7 million for teacher assistants, or about 278 teacher assistant positions. The reduction eliminates teaching assistants in second and third grades. Also removed would be $1.6 million for teachers, or about 28 teaching positions. $1.1 million applied to transportation needs would be slashed.

“We share the Senate’s desire to increase teacher salaries, but these budget cuts – especially at the primary level, where reading achievement is a priority – would be devastating,” Superintendent Beverly Emory said. “At a time when third-graders cannot be promoted to fourth grade unless they are reading at grade level, we need to find a way to both pay our teachers more and support reading instruction in the early grades.”

Read more about budget specifics at CCD  HERE.