Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Don Phipps shared an optimistic view of the district at this year’s State of Education event.
Greater Winston-Salem Inc. hosts the event annually as an opportunity for the business community to hear from education leaders.
Last year, the interim superintendent for WS/FCS, Catty Moore, spoke about the district’s grim financial state. The school system was around $40 million in debt, and hundreds of employees had just lost their jobs.
At this week’s presentation, Phipps highlighted how far the district has come since then. The debt is down to about $4 million and is expected to be paid off next school year.
“I firmly believe that five or 10 years from now, when we're strong and robust, and we're doing great work, that we look back at this time frame and we realize that it was a difficult time," Phipps said. "But in some strange way, it helped us grow and become something different than we would have been otherwise.”
Still, he noted the current strain on staff, having gone from roughly 7,000 employees to 5,300, as well as declining enrollment.
Phipps said community partnerships will continue to play a key role in the district’s recovery.