Forsyth County will begin a debt-forgiveness plan with the school district, tying the amount forgiven with an anticipated private fundraising effort.

The resolution that commissioners approved on Thursday by a 5-2 vote means that for every dollar raised privately to pay the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools' debts to the state and vendors, the county will deduct the same amount from the $5 million that the school district still owes the county.

The decision by the commissioners marked a rare bit of good news for the school system, which is mired in a financial crisis that has led to mass layoffs, state scrutiny and negative media coverage from around the country. The school system's woes also cast the county in a bad light, potentially impacting economic development.

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