Schools superintendent says debt has been reduced, Tyler ERP rollout underway; ADM decline remains a budget pressure
July 10, 2026 | Forsyth County, North Carolina
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Dr. Don Phipps, superintendent of Winston‑Salem/Forsyth County Schools, delivered a quarterly report to the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners on July 9, outlining financial systems changes, audit responses, staffing reductions and lingering budget pressures.
"We've done a full implementation of the new system that we've got called Tyler ERP..." Phipps said, describing a phased payroll transition with the first exclusive Tyler payroll expected in September or October and dual-system runs in July and August to detect anomalies.
Phipps credited debt‑reduction and one‑time community contributions with moving the district out of a negative capital fund balance, but cautioned some gains reflect one‑time items. "The fund balance number represents non‑encumbered funds reflecting revenue minus expenses," he said, adding that one‑time revenues and staffing adjustments were part of the recovery.
He also outlined workforce changes and enrollment impacts: "We have reduced our staff allotment by 913 positions," Phipps said, and confirmed a decline of 1,551 students this school year — a decrease that he estimated equates to roughly $12.5 million in lost state revenue.
On facilities, Phipps updated the board on Ashley Elementary School design options. He said bids and estimates put construction costs at roughly $450 per square foot for the selected design, producing an estimated building cost just shy of $43,000,000 for the plan under consideration, and that additional funding sources would need to be identified to reach the preferred design.
Phipps said corrective actions from recent audits have been implemented and an audit advisory committee has recommended a new audit firm; he also described progress on operational guardrails, standard operating procedures and improved payroll accuracy following the systems transition.
Commissioners thanked Phipps for the report and expressed guarded optimism. The superintendent asked the board for guidance on reasonable targets for an ongoing fund-balance policy and signaled that more detailed year‑end figures would be available in late July.
"We've done a full implementation of the new system that we've got called Tyler ERP..." Phipps said, describing a phased payroll transition with the first exclusive Tyler payroll expected in September or October and dual-system runs in July and August to detect anomalies.
Phipps credited debt‑reduction and one‑time community contributions with moving the district out of a negative capital fund balance, but cautioned some gains reflect one‑time items. "The fund balance number represents non‑encumbered funds reflecting revenue minus expenses," he said, adding that one‑time revenues and staffing adjustments were part of the recovery.
He also outlined workforce changes and enrollment impacts: "We have reduced our staff allotment by 913 positions," Phipps said, and confirmed a decline of 1,551 students this school year — a decrease that he estimated equates to roughly $12.5 million in lost state revenue.
On facilities, Phipps updated the board on Ashley Elementary School design options. He said bids and estimates put construction costs at roughly $450 per square foot for the selected design, producing an estimated building cost just shy of $43,000,000 for the plan under consideration, and that additional funding sources would need to be identified to reach the preferred design.
Phipps said corrective actions from recent audits have been implemented and an audit advisory committee has recommended a new audit firm; he also described progress on operational guardrails, standard operating procedures and improved payroll accuracy following the systems transition.
Commissioners thanked Phipps for the report and expressed guarded optimism. The superintendent asked the board for guidance on reasonable targets for an ongoing fund-balance policy and signaled that more detailed year‑end figures would be available in late July.
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