WS Chronicle

After being sworn in during a brief ceremony on Monday, Sept. 3, Dr. Angela Pringle Hairston officially assumed her role as Superintendent of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WS/FCS).

Pringle Hairston was selected from a field of more than 40 candidates from across the country who were vying for the vacancy left by Dr. Beverly Emory who stepped down earlier this year to take a position with the North Carolina State Board of Education.

Before joining the the local school district Pringle Hairston worked more than 30 years in public education in Virginia and Georgia. Since 2014, she served as superintendent for  Richmond County Schools in Augusta, Georgia. Before that she served as a region superintendent and principal for DeKalb County School District. She also served as director of human resources, a principal, and an assistant principal for Gwinett County Public Schools. While working for Danville Public Schools in Virginia, Pringle Hairston served as a principal, assistant principal and a math teacher.

Although she didn’t officially step into the role of superintendent until Monday, Pringle Hairston has already visited several schools across the district. During a press conference Pringle Hairston said it has been a learning experience so far but she has enjoyed every moment.

One of the priorities on Pringle Hairston’s to-do list is to address equity across the district. When asked what equity looks like to her, Pringle Hairston said equity is what children need to be successful and it may look different for different students, but the goal to ensure all students are college or career ready remains the same. 

She also stressed the need for community support and  “wrap-around services” for students and families across the district.

“Equity looks like what children need to be successful wherever they start or finish. We see some good things already here in the school district and certainly there’s opportunity for growth, and opportunity for adjustments,” Pringle Hairston continued. “But for children in kindergarten, that might be supports for literacy. We have kindergarten children already reading when they enter the door and we want to challenge those children, we want those children to feel that they are able to move at their own pace. And then we have children who are just learning how to be in school so we’re going to work to provide those supports so that all children graduate on time and are successful.

“…Things look different depending on the children. The key right now is to assess what the needs are and help staff at each school understand how we can best serve those needs. My experience says that wrap-around services cannot be the school district itself; we must work with the community because we know school districts don’t live apart from the community.”

Over the next few days Dr. Pringle Hairston will continue her tour of the district by meeting twith principals, teachers, students, community members and others with invested interested in WS/FCS. After those meetings a plan to address issues throughout the district will be created and presented to the Board of Education. According to Pringle Hairston, that plan will also be published on the district’s website.