Staffing took center stage at Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools’ first Board of Education meeting of the new school year on Tuesday night.
Following the conclusion of the 2023-24 school year, 804 employees throughout the district in various positions either retired or moved on to new careers. The Human Resources Department has been hard at work filling vacancies, and as of Tuesday, 599 new employees had been cleared and gotten to work, while 28 more were completing orientations and 67 were in the early stages of the recommendation process. Thanks to support from long-term substitutes, no classroom in the district was without a teacher on the first day of school.
Among support staff like custodians, bus drivers, and kitchen assistants, vacancies currently stand at 146 across all locations, down from 157 last year. Chief Human Resources Officer Dr. Christopher Weikart was also pleased to report only 78 vacancies in teaching positions, a significant improvement from 112 at the same time last year. However, he also acknowledged that it is critical to put permanent teachers in all classrooms as soon as possible, particularly in classrooms for exceptional students, which are facing a disproportionately high number of openings for teachers and teacher assistants. The district will continue to invest in recruitment strategies, including career fairs, interview days focused on teacher assistants, the virtual alternative pathway for teachers, and more. Weikart feels optimistic that with a little bit more time, the district’s positive reputation as a great place to work and learn will attract plenty of qualified candidates.
“Are we at 100% staff? No, we are not, but at 97%, compared to where we were, we should celebrate that,” Weikart said. “People are choosing our system because of our great students and community.”
Also on the board’s agenda for the evening were:
Nylah Lee from Reynolds High School performing “Part of Your World” from the Summer Enrichment Theatre program’s production of The Little Mermaid
Updates on the progress of the Heart Math Tutoring program
Discussion of safety and security strategies for the 2024-25 school year
Approval of a hardware refresh for staff laptops, grant funding appropriation for the North Carolina Education Corps, resource group contracts for Konnoak Middle School, Clemmons Middle School, and Carver High School, a contract with Capturing Kids’ Hearts at Konnoak Middle, and an EC nursing contract with the Forsyth County Department of Public Health
The Board of Education will meet again on Tuesday, August 27 at 6:30 pm.