Position/philosophy statement
I'm an 19 year veteran EC ( Special Ed) Teacher who decided to enter to begin to rebuild trust after a very difficult last 6 months, where many of my colleagues lost their jobs and kids lost valuable role models. We need to heal our district.
Current Occupation
EC (Special Education) Teacher
Age (optional)
43
As an 19 year educator, I have seen first hand the issues facing our public schools. We must be attuned to what the employees who work with our students on a daily basis are saying. We need to have input from them as well as students, families and the community before big decisions are made. I am an educator but also a strong advocate for our public schools. I have also served on various boards including an educator board for many years. We must be good stewards of the public dollars given, while also advocating to the general assembly for a budget and additional funding for public education.
Hiring a superintendent, voting to enact a budget, voting to create a budget to ask our county commissioners for each spring, and voting on policies for our students and staff are then most important duties.
This year has been a very difficult one. We have lost over 750 staff since August. Many of these losses were within the Exceptional Children's (EC) Department and with Assistant Principals. I think it is crucial we revisit the decisions made, and look within our budget, to see if corrections can be made. We also need to work extremely hard to not cut any additional staff, especially in our schools, as many folks that are remaining are having a challenging time to properly supervise kids, with so much less support because of the reduction in staff.
We must first begin to change how our district is viewed to recruit new folks. No one wants to work in a district that is laying folks off and and not providing support. As a current employee I can guarantee you, the morale has never been lower. Each month, we continue to lose quality and dedicated educators. We have to start listening to our educators and give them a real voice and seat at the table about decisions. This would boost morale and give them a level of investment to help with recruitment.
My son is in PreK. He has had an amazing experience, so far. Even though I'm an employee, I didn't get him in a program until September, because of cuts to PreK. But research shows students who can get early interventions and access to PreK have better outcomes in school, so while we have to be vigilant of the budget, I support this important initiative.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Position/philosophy statement
My leadership philosophy as a school board member is rooted in being student-centered, accountable, and transparent. Every decision should be guided by what best supports student learning, safety, and long-term success.
Current Occupation
Stylist for Cabi clothing
Age (optional)
54
Campaign Phone
3367936171
I'm the mom of 2 students, and have been heavily involved in the PTA. I've served 4 times as PTA President and currently hold that position at Mt. Tabor. My volunteerism extends to my neighborhood HOA board where I was a director for 15 years. I was a member of the finance committee and helped develop long-term and annual budgets. One of the more rewarding experiences came as a reading tutor with ReadWS. Sitting across from a struggling reader will change the way you view everything. This fueled my passion for early literacy.
School boards should create policies and procedures that are student-centered and foster safe school environments. They are charged with being good stewards of the taxpayers' funds and making sound financial decisions. They work with the superintendent and CFO to establish a balanced budget. The board should be an advocate for the district- working with county commissioners and local and state officials to secure sufficient funding.
I believe first and foremost we must retain our teachers. This means prioritizing pay increases and protecting planning time. The code of conduct needs to be revised so teachers feel more supported in the classroom. We need targeted support for elementary students who are struggling with reading and math.
The board should advocate for more funding for raises and bonuses. Teachers should be given protected planning time so they are not spending time outside of work hours. There should be a system in place to compensate teachers for working beyond the required workday. We need input from teachers about the code of conduct, so they feel empowered to handle behavior issues.
So many of our students enter kindergarten already behind their peers and this makes it difficult to catch up. A pre-K program would introduce kids to a structured classroom setting and early literacy instruction. Universal pre-K would help to level the playing field for our most vulnerable students.
I believe all residents of Forsyth county should care about all kids receiving a quality education. Our students deserve to have the necessary skills to produce the best possible outcomes. We need to partner with community organizations to help fill critical gaps in resources and support. I'll look for creative ways to engage families and stakeholders. I'll ask hard questions, listen carefully, and make decisions rooted in data, not politics. Every child. Every classroom. Everyday.
Position/philosophy statement
Good schools need high-quality teachers empowered to do their jobs as professionals, a real code of conduct to allow kids to learn and keep them safe, extracurricular opportunities to keep kids engaged, and community involvement.
Current Occupation
Clinical Pharmacist
Age (optional)
42
Campaign Phone
3366920698
I bring a set of experiences from the classroom and the healthcare system. As a former science teacher, I understand how schools function day to day and the lived experience of teachers in our system. Now I work as a clinical pharmacist focused on evidence-based decision making, medication safety, and teamwork in complex systems for the benefit of our patients. By combining professional expertise with teaching experience, I will place a clear focus on supporting our teachers, protecting our students, and making practical decisions for the betterment of our schools.
School board members are responsible for fiscal oversight, setting clear policy, and holding district leadership accountable. We must ask the right questions at the right time, not after problems have spirals. We should listen to teachers, students, and families who know what is happening and what can be done better. We have to ensure that our decisions are transparent and evidence based. The focus on WSFCS should be on the classrooms and success, not the boardroom and chaos.
WSFCS needs to focus on restoring trust, retaining and recruiting great teachers, creating safe and orderly classrooms, and improving academic outcomes for all students, especially our most vulnerable. I would prioritize funding that directly supports classrooms - staffing, EC services, and early grades. When resources are limited, cuts should not come from students or front-line staff but from areas that do not directly support learning. We have to continually lobby the state government to increase teacher pay, but locally we can make sure that our supplement is inline with being the 4th largest system in the state.
To recruit and retain qualified teachers, we must treat educators as professionals and support them accordingly. We have to protect teacher planning time, as teachers are constantly pulled for extra duties, meetings, and cross-coverage. We can ensure safe and orderly classrooms through a clear code of conduct that lets teachers teach and students learn. Finally, we should be listening to teacher input before policies are implemented. Many well-intentioned policies fall apart when reaching the classroom. When teachers feel respected and supported, we can prevent burnout and improve retention.
Pre-K programs are critically important to student success. Kindergarten teachers can quickly see the difference between students who had access to Pre-K and those who did not, especially in literacy and behavior.. In an ideal world, Pre-K would be universally available. Within our area, we should prioritize expanding access for low- and middle-income families so more students start school ready to learn.
Former Governor Jim Hunt said it best. “Education is the great equalizer. It's the ticket to opportunity for every child, regardless of their circumstances”. And today, public education remains our most important economic development issue - providing job opportunities, hardworking employees, and future entrepreneurs.
Strong public schools prepare students for life in the community, strengthen our workforce, and create resilient local economies. My priorities will be keeping classrooms safe learning environments, supporting our amazing teachers, and ensuring public education remains the foundation of our community’s future.
Position/philosophy statement
To make Winston-Salem / Forsyth County Schools the premier educational setting for all students in the area
Current Occupation
Business Executive
Age (optional)
41
My name is Curtis Fentress and I am running to bring fresh leadership to our school system. I was raised in Winston-Salem the son of a Forsyth Tech administrator and the grandson of a 2nd grade teacher. I went to school in our district graduating in 2003 from Mount Tabor High School.
After graduating with an MBA from UNC in 2012, I have been employed in a series of management roles with a Fortune 500 company where I presently hold P&L and financial responsibility for a $1Billion division.
I am a volunteer with NC Youth Fusion Soccer, a business mentor with Winston Starts and a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Mostly, I am a husband and father to 3 young children who I am proud to send to the same public school system I attended.
- Advocating for support at the state and local level
- Advocating for public schools as the premier education setting for students
- Managing, hiring and overseeing district administrative staff and policy
The most critical needs we have in our district is a lack of trust in the school board and in the leadership running the school district. The lack of trust emanates from all constituencies and has a negative impact on the district in myriad ways: reduced enrollment from students and families opting for charter and private schools, reduced investment combined with a general hand's off approach from the state of North Carolina who can assign blame to the local leadership for any ill effect that befalls our district. In order to build back trust in our district, it's essential that we elect new leadership that can turn the page and usher in a new atmosphere.
Educators, like any employee in any industry, have certain reasonable expectations of their employer. We expect out employers to be fair. We expect our employers to provide us the resources we need to be successful. We expect our employers to pay us a competitive wage. We expect our employers to have some level of stability of decision-making and policy setting. In the recent path, we have fallen short of this goal in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County and it is time for the community to elect new leadership to build back the trust of all stakeholders.
Universal Pre-K is of critical importance to our education system. Head Start made North Carolina a model for the nation by introducing the concept of publicly funded preschool to meet the emotional, social, and psychological needs of our youngest. We need to understand the compound effects that early intervention can have as we enter school-aged years. We are asking too much of our educators who must teach to a wider and wider swath of need as children progress through elementary school. With Pre-K, we can help to level the playing field and get our youngest kids on the right path to learn and absorb at a young age.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Position/philosophy statement
I'm running for School Board in District 2. My philosphy is aspirational - we should aim high and make our educational system. better managed, resulting in better education in safer schools with better supported educators.
Current Occupation
Associate Professor of Anthropology at Wake Forest University
Age (optional)
73
Campaign Phone
336-724-9522
As a professional anthropologist I have employed a big picture perspective to the many issues that I have studied. I understand elements of a complex entity like the school system as parts of a bigger whole that must work together and to adapt. I can bring that perspective to the board. As chair of anthropology at Wake Forest, I was responsible for the budget, recruitment and retention of staff, management of personnel, communication with administration, making grants, managing facilities and collaborating with other departments and community organizations. All this was in service to our students and staff. I served on the ethics committees and conducted complex research in Winston Salem and abroad, where I learned a second language.
The three main responsibilities are well-known to all. They are to set the policies by which WS/FCS operates, oversee the finances responsibly and hire and supervise the Superintendent. But our Board needs more than this, primarily to work together - to function well as a board and to do the work in a superior fashion. This responsibility assumes other responsibilities of accountability and transparency. Board members must be in touch with the various communities of students, educators, family and the community and to listen to their priorities, honoring their knowledge and skills. Board members are not expert in all the areas that the community are. It must work all these communities to make the right mix of priorities and actions,
The first problem is the assumption that we must work within the available funds. The funds are insufficient. NC ranks last among all the states in dollars spent per student. Four areas of particular need of more funding are increases in resources and programs, facilities, salaries, and appropriate staff. The EC programming has been particularly hit hard and needs to be strengthened. Of course, we must live within a budget. But, to rectify these problems we must collaborate with other entities, such as the Commissioners and advocate for more funding at the State level. We must also insist that the County increases funding. Vouchers should be eliminated and the funds transferred to the public schools.
In my experience, teachers enter the profession because of deep ethical commitments. Lack of sufficient salary deters many people from becoming or continuing as teachers. This problem is compounded by lack of staff in critical areas, placing greater and greater burden on teachers and their support staff. It is important to work with the NCAE to understand and address their assessment of teachers' needs. Who would know better than teachers why they teach and why they quit? WS/FCS should conduct a serious study of the financial, social, programmatic, identity and other dimensions of what attracts qualified teachers to WS/FCS. The findings should then be implemented through a collaborative process that involves teachers and other staff.
My position is that Pre-K is essential. The value of Pre-K has been clearly demonstrated in the Pre-K Priority initiative, a collaboration of many relevant organizations in Forsyth County. Their data show positive results in all categories when kids and their families are involved in well-supported Pre-K programs that have highly trained providers and robust resources. The Pre-K Priority initiative showed that 98% the children who went through their program were kindergarten ready. The sad fact, however, is that only 1/3 or our 4500 4-year olds attend qualified Pre-K programs. Improving that number will eventually result in more 3rd graders reading at grade level and 9 years after that will have a better chance to graduate.
It is important for a Board member to recognize the strengths of our school system and to speak on its behalf. We also need to understand where we can do better. This starts at the School Board, which needs hard working people with different qualifications, working together to serve all children and their families, as well as the whole community, by making our school system the best it can be. I am a big-picture person, not a specialist, but I have the background and the aptitude to understand each specialist and bring them together to work toward shared goals. It is all about teamwork, collaboration. By working together we can improve the areas that need improvement and make what we do well better still.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Position/philosophy statement
I am a parent, school volunteer, and former school owner abroad who believes rebuilding trust starts with transparency and accountability. Every decision should ask who it benefits and who it leaves out.
Current Occupation
Writer
Age (optional)
37
Campaign Phone
7432405470
I bring a combination of lived experience and practical leadership to this role. I am a parent, a longtime school volunteer in our district, and I previously owned and operated a school, which gave me firsthand experience supporting educators, working with families, and managing budgets and accountability. I’ve seen how board-level decisions affect classrooms in real time. I value collaboration, clear communication, and evidence-based decision-making, and I am committed to asking hard questions to ensure policies truly serve students, staff, and families.
A school board member’s responsibility is to provide steady, transparent governance that supports students and educators while maintaining public trust. This includes setting clear policy, ensuring fiscal responsibility, hiring and evaluating the superintendent, and listening to the community. Board members should focus on long-term outcomes, not micromanagement, and make decisions grounded in evidence and equity. Above all, the board must ask who benefits from each decision and who may be left out.
Our most critical needs are staffing stability, student support services, and rebuilding trust. Within existing funding, priorities should include retaining educators, reducing burnout, and ensuring schools have access to counselors and support staff. Investments should be evaluated for impact and sustainability, with a focus on high-need schools. Clear communication about budget decisions and tradeoffs is essential so families and staff understand not just what decisions are made, but why.
Recruitment and retention start with stability, respect, and trust. Competitive compensation matters, but so do working conditions, manageable class sizes, and access to support staff. I would prioritize transparent decision-making, consistent communication, and involving educators early in major changes that affect their work. Retention improves when teachers feel heard, supported, and secure—not blindsided by decisions. Investing in mentoring, professional growth, and sustainable staffing models helps keep experienced educators in classrooms where they are most effective.
High-quality Pre-Kindergarten programs are essential to long-term academic success and equity. Early learning supports literacy, social-emotional development, and school readiness—especially for students who may not have access to early education elsewhere. Investing in Pre-K helps reduce achievement gaps before they widen and supports families by providing a strong foundation for future learning. Any expansion should focus on quality, accessibility, and alignment with K-12 instruction to ensure lasting impact.
I am committed to listening to families, educators, and staff and to approaching this role with humility and care. I believe public education is strongest when decisions are transparent, inclusive, and grounded in the real experiences of those in our schools. I look forward to serving our community with integrity and collaboration.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
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