• See Opinion/Forum pages on A4 & A5 •
Volume 48, Number 19
75 cents
• See Sports on page B1•
W I N S TO N - S A L E M , N . C .
THURSDAY, January 13, 2022
Board of Education approves new supplemental pay increase, correcting $16 million mistake BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE
Due to a $16 million miscalculation on the part of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WS/ FCS) Human Relations Department, teacher’s supplemental increase will be $2,000 less than what they were told a month ago. Here’s what we know: On Dec. 14 the WS/FCS Board of Education approved supplemental salary increases of $3,861, which equates to more than $300 per month for some teachers. But all that changed last week. In an email to teachers and staff, Superintendent Tricia McManus said over the holiday break, they discovered an File Photo error in the original calcu- Dozens of teachers attended the school board meeting earlier this week to hear if they would receive the pay inlation. “It was a significant crease they were promised last month. On Tuesday, Jan. 11, for beginning teachers. chief financial officer, said by the new monthly procalculation mistake and While giving a presen- with the original formula posed supplement amount. thankfully, it was captured the board approved a new before the schedule was supplement increase of tation on the supplement they multiplied the number The formula that should ever implemented and ex- $1,800 per teacher and and the miscalculation, of employees at each pay have been used multiplies $6,400 supplemental pay Andrea Gillis, WS/FCS grade on the schedules, the number of employees ecuted,” wrote McManus.
at each pay grade on the schedule by the increase in the annual cost of the supplement. Gillis, who discovered the miscalculation, said moving forward the district will implement several tactics to make sure the error doesn’t happen again. In order to mitigate future errors, the district will provide additional training on how to review for accuracy; compensation estimation (district wide and individuals) must have two HR staff to review for accuracy; all district wide estimations must also be reviewed by two members of the finance team; and all estimates will be calculated using multiple methods. In other business, the board also unanimously approved a motion to continue the mask mandate for teachers, students and staff for at least the next nine weeks.
New academy’s goal is to build foundation for learners After teaching in local public and charter schools for over 15 years, Dr. Jennifer M. Sherman’s dream of having her own business has become reality. Just before the holidays, more than a dozen people came together for the ribbon cutting ceremony for Sherman Academy. The mission of Sherman Academy is to increase proficiency levels in reading, math, and build a solid learning foundation to develop mastery of content for students and to prepare them to become tomorrow’s leaders today. When discussing the non-profit a few weeks ago, Dr. Sherman
said Sherman Academy is more than just a school. “It has been a lifelong dream of mine to start Sherman Academy but I didn’t want it to be just a school. The focus and the goal of Sherman Academy is to start a new education system, not another school,” Sherman said. In addition to her experience as a teacher, Sherman also has a master’s degree in teaching from Salem College and her doctorate in educational leadership /curriculum & instruction from High Point University. She also has a degree in business information systems from Winston-Salem State University. Sherman said what drove her to start Sherman Academy was seeing so many students being promoted to the next grade who were unprepared. During the ribbon cutting ceremony Sherman told the story of a local high school student named Bobby who was preparing to graduate, only to find out that wouldn’t be the case. A month before graduation, Bobby received a
Students from Sherman Academy perform during the ribbon cutting ceremony last month. letter stating he was number 62 out of 122 students in his class. A few weeks after that Bobby received another letter that said he was not on course to graduate. The next day Bobby’s mother went to the school and was told by administrators and teachers that for four years, her son had not made a grade higher than a “D” and his GPA was a 0.18. “All four years of high school
he failed all of his classes except for three,” Sherman said. “As you could expect, Bobby’s mother was upset. She said she never saw a progress report, a report card … she was upset and all they could do was say ‘Ma’am, we’re so sorry but he will not be able to graduate.’” Currently Bobby is working toward obtaining his GED. Sherman said
that Sherman Academy is designed to make sure students like Bobby and his family have the attention and support they need. “Bobby is a student who fell through the cracks of education. He was passed along from grade to grade to grade,” she continued. “Sherman Academy is what we call a safety net. We are that safety net that catches students that fall through the
Photo by Tevin Stinson
cracks of education. We have an after-school tutoring program where we can tutor students who have fallen behind and we help build a solid foundation for new learners. “Sherman Academy is building a foundation without any cracks.” For more information on Sherman Academy, visit www.shermanacademy. org or call 336-271-1517. 6 89076 32439 7
BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE