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INADEQUATE FUNDING TO MEET <br /> GROWING DEMAND IN WINSTON-SALEM/FORSYTH <br /> In Winston-Salem/Forsyth schools, recently retired school principals were funded at a rate of 1 assistant principal <br /> finance officer Kerry Crutchfield says that the impact of for 700 students. Now that ratio is 1:1000 students, which <br /> decreased state level support for public schools has had results in either a heavier administrative load on principals <br /> an unquestionably significant impact on their local budget, or we have to use other local resources to keep more <br /> even though they are in a county with a larger tax base. assistant principals." <br /> "We've lost over 40 percent of the state funding for teacher Crutchfield says this comes at a time when students have <br /> assistants," said Crutchfield."And we've lost 50 percent more needs than ever before—school leaders in Winston, <br /> of funding for textbooks and instructional supplies.Some he says, are finding that the social-emotional needs of <br /> may think since we've gone to digital resources, we can children are being left behind these days, and schools have <br /> save money that way. But the reality is that we cannot— we to step in to fill that void. "We also don't have sufficient <br /> simply don't have enough money to cover the textbooks we funding instructional support personnel, like school <br /> do still adopt as well as the digital resources." psychologists and nurses,to help,"said Crutchfield. <br /> Crutchfield stresses that it's not "The General Assembly says they have increased funding for <br /> education every year," said Crutchfield."But the major part <br /> just the low wealth or small counties of all of those funding increases is the required matching <br /> that are having a difficult time these benefit rate increase for retirement and health insurance, <br /> This skews the fact that public school funding has been cut <br /> days — everyone is. immensely.The money for retirement and health insurance <br /> costs is included in state per pupil funding rate too,so that <br /> "County funding for Winston Salem/Forsyth schools has also doesn't indicate how much we are really cutting into <br /> declined over the last 10 years on a per pupil basis—our public school budgets." <br /> district has been growing over the past few years while <br /> we've been hit with economic pressures that many locales <br /> have been facing. In addition,10 years ago,assistant <br />