Winston-Salem, NC: 'Unprecedented rise in complex academic, social-emotional, severe behavioral needs'

Sept 30, 2026, WS/FCS plans 14.5 new special needs hires for $1.3 million

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools will use $1.3 million from Forsyth County to hire additional employees to work with students with special needs.

Outgoing Superintendent Don Phipps submitted a plan to Forsyth County Manager Shontell Robinson last week that calls for hiring 14.5 full-time employees in the special needs, or exceptional children, department. The school district cut 150 staff members who work with these children as part of last year's budget cuts, leaving the remaining educators feeling overwhelmed and demoralized by their caseloads.

In June, Forsyth County commissioners approved adding $1.3 million to the school district's budget, specifically for exceptional children, an expense that added 0.2 cents to the tax rate. The $1.3 million was put in a reserve account to be released once the school district provides the county manager with a plan describing how the money will be used. The school district must then provide quarterly reports to the county manager detailing the use of the funds.

Phipps' memo to Robinson last week detailed those plans. It calls for hiring eight full-time exceptional children teachers, 4.5 teacher assistants, one behavior support specialist and one exceptional children facilitator who coordinates the transition from pre-kindergarten to kindergarten.

"Our district faces an unprecedented rise in complex academic, social-emotional, and severe behavioral needs," Phipps wrote in his memo. "This need is amplified by students transitioning from Pre-Kindergarten to Kindergarten. To stabilize these learning environments, these funds are specifically prioritized to support early childhood transitions, de-escalation, and direct classroom interventions."

The additions should reduce teacher caseloads, improve student-to-adult ratios and decrease behavioral disruptions, Phipps wrote.

The school district plans to post all 14.5 positions immediately to "establish long-term stability and rebuilt capacity lost during the 2025 budget cuts," he said.

The school district wants to use a staffing agency to address immediate needs until permanent employees can be hired.  

As of Sept. 16, the school district had 83 vacancies in its exceptional children department. With the addition of the requested 14.5 positions, it will need to hire 97.5 people in total.