School system proposes budget cuts

(By Mary Giunca, Winston-Salem Journal) - Proposed cuts to the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school system's budget could eliminate nearly 500 to 1,000 staff positions during the 2011-2012 school year.

The school system has about 8,000 employees, according to the system's website.

Superintendent Don Martin presented scenarios to the board's finance committee Friday morning in response to the governor's request to state agencies, such as the Department of Public Instruction, to show how they would cut 5 percent and 10 percent in costs for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The state is looking for ways to cover an expected budget shortfall of at least $3.7 billion.

Martin emphasized that the legislature, which will go into session later this month, may have other ideas about how the state should fund education.