On December 5, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools will wrap up the first phase on public outreach for Fostering Diverse Schools, a project that could reshape the district. Students, staff, parents, guardians and other community members are encouraged to register for an in-person or virtual listening session, call the feedback hotline at 336-727-8029, or take the short survey to have your say.
Planners are particularly looking for participants from schools in the south and the east, which haven’t had as much participation as other areas.
“We are trying to get a pulse on what is important as we think about redrawing residential boundaries,” said WS/FCS Chief Equity Officer Dr. Effie McMillian, who is co-leading this project.
Fostering Diverse Schools is a two-year, grant-funded planning process to modernize residential boundaries to enhance socioeconomic diversity of schools and improve transportation efficiency across the district. WS/FCS has not realigned residential boundaries in 30 years.
The effort is an attempt to disrupt concentrations of poverty. Research shows that economic diversity in schools creates better outcomes for all students, including more post-secondary opportunities, improved academic achievement and higher graduation rates.
Community input is critical to the success of this planning effort.
“We took an unconventional approach to hear from people first, rather than just presenting new residential boundary maps,” McMillian said.
Since community outreach started in summer 2024, more than 7,500 people have participated. The feedback gathered so far is showcased on a Community Dashboard.
The next phase of the project, which begins in early 2025, will present proposed maps to the community.