Six of the nine Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education members are seeking re-election this year.
But regaining trust amid a major financial crisis could be a challenge.
The district unearthed a $46 million deficit last year, brought on by years of overspending and a series of accounting errors.
The former superintendent and chief financial officer quickly left their posts. And the remaining leaders — elected school board members — drew heavy criticism for their roles in the budget crisis. Some community members called for the whole board to resign.
A few have decided to step down. But most are looking to retain their seats. At recent forums, the incumbents have had to explain why they should be re-elected.
Democrat Richard Watts, running for an at-large seat, admitted he’d been “too trusting” and vowed to change.
“My job, going forward, is to be more critical, more inquisitive and less trusting as we move forward in this financial situation," Watts said.
Meanwhile, Republican Robert Barr in District 2 argued that he has a record of challenging leadership already.
“I said the difficult things," Barr said. "I called for the superintendent's termination. I expressed the same thing for our CFO and talked about the mismanagement.”
Republican Susan Miller, also running in District 2, joined Barr in the calls for resignations last year. And in a recent forum, she said the entire current leadership team should be vetted.
Steve Wood, another incumbent Republican in that race, argued that the current board isn’t entirely to blame for the crisis. He brought up the fact that the district’s financial issues trace back to 2017, according to the state auditor.
Other candidates, including Democrats Trevonia Brown-Gaither and Alex Bohannon running in District 1, stressed the importance of having some continuity on the board.
“We are navigating real challenges with staffing, school safety concerns and hard decisions financially. This isn't a moment for a steep learning curve," Bohannon said.
Early voting for the primary ends on Feb. 28. Election Day is March 3.