WS Chronicle | Staff Report
Twenty people have applied to lead Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools through the remainder of the school year, giving the Board of Education a pool of candidates to consider as Superintendent Don Phipps prepares to retire at the end of September.
The district received 20 applications for interim superintendent by the Sept. 2 deadline, a WS/FCS spokesperson confirmed to WFDD. Under the board’s proposed selection schedule, members were expected to submit individual candidate rankings to the district’s general counsel this week.
The compressed search leaves board members only a few weeks to choose the next leader of one of North Carolina’s largest school districts.
Phipps is scheduled to retire Sept. 30. The school board has said it hopes to have an interim superintendent in place Oct. 1. The person selected is expected to serve through June 30, 2027, while the district determines its longer-term leadership direction.
The board voted Aug. 25 to move ahead with an interim superintendent search rather than immediately selecting a permanent replacement.
According to the proposed search timeline, board members will use their individual rankings to narrow the 20-person applicant pool, discuss their preferred candidates and determine whom to interview or potentially offer the position over the coming weeks.
Whoever is selected will inherit a district still working through significant financial and enrollment pressures.
WS/FCS disclosed in 2025 that it had identified a deficit from the 2024-25 fiscal year. The district subsequently reduced expenses to balance its 2025-26 budget and began implementing corrective measures with county and state officials.
Earlier this year, an outside review commissioned through the N.C. Department of Public Instruction examined the district’s internal financial controls, fiscal policies, workflows and oversight. The firm Mauldin & Jenkins reviewed more than 200 documents, interviewed 17 people and issued 10 recommendations along with a four-phase implementation plan. The review cost the district $97,770.
Enrollment losses are creating another financial challenge.
During an April budget workshop, district officials projected that WS/FCS would lose about $11.5 million in state funding because of declining enrollment and another $3.5 million because less federal carryover money would be available. At the time, the district also had about $4 million in remaining debt to repay.
Because public-school funding is tied in part to the number of students served, declining enrollment can translate directly into fewer state dollars and pressure to reduce staffing or other expenses.
The district said in April that some positions would be reduced because of enrollment declines, although officials expected to use vacancies and previously frozen positions to minimize reductions involving employees already on staff.
Phipps has been leading the district through that financial recovery and has described stability and rebuilding trust as priorities. In March, he told board members that consistency would be important as WS/FCS worked through its budget challenges.
The next superintendent will take responsibility for those efforts almost immediately.
The board’s immediate task is narrowing 20 applicants to a candidate who can step into the superintendent’s office Oct. 1 and lead the district through the end of the academic year.