“I feel like (this) is more of a measure of stability.”

– Supt. Don Phipps on April 14^th, 2026.

“Stability” is an interesting word especially when used in the reference to the next budget proposals here in WSFCS.

Since April of last year, we as a school system have 1,200 fewer staff members. More cuts is not going to bring us more stability.

As told to me this morning, almost 20% of the positions in my department which teaches a core subject are being cut for the next school year. Multiple electives have been slashed (as of now) to prepare for a year of “stability.” And that’s just in my department in one school.

Supposedly, these cuts are due to a drop in enrollment. That drop in enrollment was mostly due to the cuts made to schools this year in response to the financial deficit. Making more cuts to “cover” those initial cuts will precipitate the withdrawal of even more students as class sizes grow bigger, electives are no longer being offered, and the lack of investment persists.

Why?

Because more parents will pull their kids out of public schools.

ADM (Average Daily Membership) will go down again and since the state that can’t pass a new budget uses ADM as a funding formula, less money will come to the school system, therefore, more cuts.

And the cycle repeats itself.

In the few times that school board members have confronted the public about the funding issues, they have mentioned that WSFCS must do more with less as other school systems have done so.  With no specifics cited, it is worth noting that this school system resides in a locality that ranks low in social mobility and has a higher rate of free-and-reduced students than is average.

The percentage of students in WSFCS who are identified as “exceptional children” is also higher than the state average.

But we are getting more cuts.

What we should be doing is investing more.

Yes, we should be fighting for more money from both the state and the local county commissioners to help heal the deficits in our schools rather than place a thin Band-Aid on it and hope it just goes away or amputate a limb that could be saved with proper care and attention.

Those special classes like orchestra that will be eliminated in pre-secondary schools will lead to no one taking those electives years from now. Those class sizes that will be getting even bigger will probably be given to a teaching staff filled with those who do not look at teaching as a profession but a 2-3 year stint.

What this school system suffers from most is a lack of vision and an absence of spine. Cuts made today will not solve tomorrow’s problems. In fact, it will create more problems that will exacerbate over time.

On May 1^st, teachers and advocates from this school system will go to Raleigh to personally petition for more funding from the state. Will any of our school board members be there? Any people from Central Office?

Because right now it seems that we in the schools are fighting the fight that the board and CO should be fighting. In fact, it feels like the board and CO are fighting against the very people fighting the fight that needs to be fought.