The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools are facing an $18 million budget deficit on top of a staggering $41 million in debt. The district has already announced nearly 350 position cuts, including assistant principals and Exceptional Children’s teachers and staff who are essential to the success and safety of students. These cuts will devastate classrooms and leave families without the support they deserve.
This crisis is not unique to Forsyth County. It is a direct result of decades of underfunding public education in North Carolina and the General Assembly’s refusal to comply with the court-ordered Leandro plan, which outlines the minimum investment required to give every child a sound, basic education as guaranteed by our state constitution.
The numbers speak for themselves. In 2022–23 alone, state lawmakers underfunded Leandro by $443 million while adding billions to state reserves. Had the Leandro plan been fully funded, Winston-Salem/Forsyth would have received nearly $100 million more, enough to cover its current deficit and protect the jobs and services now at risk.
What is happening in Forsyth is a warning for every community. Other districts across North Carolina are also grappling with staff shortages, shrinking budgets, and rising student needs. Unless the General Assembly commits to sustained, equitable investment in our public schools, these crises will spread, and more students will be denied the education our constitution promises them.
The solution is not complicated: fund our schools, honor Leandro, and put students first. Our children’s futures and our state’s prosperity depend on it.
This is a statewide issue, not a local one. North Carolina has the resources; what we need is the political will.
