The Forsyth County Association of Educators held a town hall Monday night, urging legislators to help with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools’ budget crisis.
The district is facing a $46 million deficit after years of overspending based on state allotments, and poor accounting practices.
But teachers pointed to a host of broader factors they see as contributing to the problem — the state ranking 48th in the country for per-student spending; the expansion of private school vouchers; and court-ordered public school funding through Leandro not being fulfilled after 31 years.
They also talked about the rise in students experiencing poverty, and those in need of Exceptional Children and multilingual services.
Educators called on legislators to pass a mini-budget to address the district's debt, and to retain the roughly 350 employees who recently lost their jobs, a few of whom spoke about their experience at the town hall.
Jerrica Scott, an assistant principal at Hanes Magnet Middle School, said she sacrificed a lot over the years to serve the students in the district.
"I've worked late nights and weekends and holidays and summers. I've taken out loans to further my education," Scott said, through tears. "I've turned down other offers because my heart was here, and in a single moment, all of that was taken away."
Democratic Rep. Amber Baker and Democratic Rep. Kanika Brown were the only two local delegates who attended the town hall. They both voiced their support, but Baker said getting a majority in the General Assembly would be tough.
“Yes, we are gonna fight to try to get a mini-budget done. But y’all, we have not got a budget done," Baker said. "So let’s just be honest.”
She encouraged educators to keep pressure on legislators while also seeking support from wealthy Winston-Salem residents.