Helen Wilson and Amelia Reynolds
Editor-in-Chief and Staff Writer
A wave of shock and frustration has swept across the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School District as school board members have approved a reduction in force (RIF) to help deal with the financial crisis. The crisis has become less about the numbers and more about the people and relationships that are now at risk. More specifically, these cuts and changes have impacted the R.J. Reynolds High School community deeply, reaching every student and teacher.
For many, this news came as a complete surprise. Chandler Hicks, a newly hired Social Studies teacher here at RJR, who was among those who got laid off, shared his thoughts.
“I was unaware of the district’s history of mishandling their finances,” Hicks said.
Not only was Hicks unaware of the financial instability in the district, but he also found the timing of the announcement disheartening.
“They decided to wait until 3:30 pm on Labor Day to inform employees that they were being let go,” Hicks said. “Not a fun way to spend my day off, to say the least.”
The impact has been deeply personal for some employees. Anthony Grier, an RJR assistant principal who was demoted to a classroom teaching position, received an email on a Saturday morning after the first football game in RJR’s brand new stadium, The M. Douglas Crater Field & Stadium.
“I froze,” Grier said. “I had to process my job being eliminated.”
Despite the personal setback, Grier acknowledged the district’s difficult position.
“Honestly, I think that the district was at a point where they had to do what they needed to do to avoid further financial damage,” Grier said. “There’s really no single person to blame for all of this, given that the audits reveal that this goes back years.”
The RIF has left many feeling that the process was rushed and poorly handled. Charmell Pettus, another assistant principal at RJR who was RIF’ed, expressed her frustration with the hurried nature of the cuts.
“I think that they could have taken more time,” Pettus said. “I think trying to clean up an eight-year mismanagement in a matter of months is a little bit much.”
The emotional toll has been the most devastating. It is becoming less about jobs: it’s about the relationships built within the school. Calvin Freeman, RJR’s principal, has taken on the responsibility of handling these cuts on the school level.
“These aren’t just budgetary decisions,” Freeman said. “These are decisions that are affecting people, that are affecting relationships, that are affecting livelihoods, and ultimately affecting the outcomes of our students. That is the most challenging part.”
What wasn’t considered was the impact on the students. Hicks explained that the classes he is leaving will face a major change, and it’s already mid-semester.
“Students’ academic pursuits are going to be disrupted, plain and simple,” Hicks said. “My students are now going to have to navigate what is essentially a whole new classroom dynamic, with a brand-new teacher, brand-new expectations, and brand-new relationships. This will certainly disrupt my students’ ability to engage and thrive in this class.”
Kensey Walters, an RJR testing coordinator who was RIF’ed also expressed her concerns for the students and their loss of a vital support system they have grown close to.
“I had some kids who come here all the time to talk to me,” Walters said. “Relationships will be affected and trust will be lost, not just within your school, but within your entire community… It’s going to be hard to come back.”
The path for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools is very unknown. It is unclear if these cuts will continue or what schools will look like in the future.
“I feel like right now we’re in a time of uncertainty,” Grier said. “We’re at a wait-and-see because there is so much uncertainty right now. It’s going to take a while to fix what has happened, as well as steer the district back in the right direction financially.”
The district enforced a “Transition Day” on September 15th, 2025, allowing teachers and staff to plan for and adjust to the staffing changes of the RIF. After receiving the email on Labor Day, most teachers had two weeks left to work.
“I’m committed to the work,” Pettus said. “I’m committed to finishing, because I just know it’s nobody’s fault at Reynolds. It’s above all of us.”
After receiving the less-than-desirable news, the last thing teachers and staff want to do is look for a new career. However, people have lives to live and bills to pay, and now have to ask themselves, ‘What’s next?’
“That is the $46 million dollar question, isn’t it? Haha,” Hicks said. “I am currently looking for positions, but I know I will find something that will allow me to continue my love of teaching, education, and positively impacting the community around me.”
The district provided assistant principals with an opportunity to go back into the classroom, replacing another teacher’s job. This option has had a range of reactions. Spending a whole career working up to become an administrator, it seems inequitable to be placed back down the ladder.
“I chose to take the demotion because I needed to maintain an income and benefits,” Grier said. “I chose to go back into the classroom elementary teacher position, until something else becomes open. I’m just going to trust the process, and I’m going to do what I need to do so that I can still be ready.”
The district set up reverse job fairs, providing them access to twenty-plus employers, including area school districts, for those not given an option of a demotion. Finding a job will require patience and perseverance, especially following such a difficult decision.
“I feel for a lot of people who don’t have contacts to help them find a job because it is not fair,” Walters said. “It’s not their fault that other people mis-handled the money.”
From here, the question arises whether the district can really succeed. How long will these cuts affect the schools, and will the positions lost and funding ever be recovered?
“There has been an erosion of trust,” Freeman said. “But the school is gonna open tomorrow. A school is going to open the next day. And as long as school’s opening, I think we’ll have people showing up doing the good work.”