Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Welcome New Interim Superintendent
The unexpected appointment of an interim superintendent by the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education has captured the community’s attention. In a surprising move, the board altered its agenda on Tuesday night to approve Randy Bridges as interim superintendent, effective from October 1 until June 30.
The decision was reached with an 8-1 vote in favor of Bridges, yet the board refrained from discussing the specifics of his contract or providing further details about him during the meeting. Notably, Bridges was absent at the time of the announcement, and the contract was not featured in the board agenda.
According to The Alamance News, Bridges recently served as the interim superintendent for Wake County public schools, the state’s largest school system. His extensive career includes leading the Alamance-Burlington School System from 2006 to 2010 and acting as superintendent for Stafford County Schools in Virginia until his retirement in 2013. Bridges boasts a significant tenure in public education spanning roughly 30 years.
Bridges will take over from Superintendent Don Phipps, who is due to step down at the end of September. Phipps expressed confidence in Bridges, telling WFDD, “He has done a lot of really impressive leadership development and consulting work in retirement, but in the kind of fraternity that I’m in with superintendents, I think he’s very highly regarded as an individual who did great work for a long period of time.”
The only board member to oppose the appointment was Sabrina Coone. Despite voting against Bridges, Coone acknowledged his understanding of central office operations and fiscal expertise, although she indicated he was not her first choice for the position.
