The Winston‑Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education approved a contract with Summit Search Solutions to conduct the district’s superintendent search and accepted a $40,000 contribution from the Winston‑Salem Foundation to help fund the effort.

Board members debated the choice of firm. Several members said the North Carolina School Boards Association scored highest on the selection rubric but that the board’s interview process and Summit’s national references and HR experience persuaded them to select Summit. Board member Steve Wood noted the state association’s lower contract price and said he would not support the higher‑cost contract; Vice Chair Bohannon cited Summit’s HR practitioners and references, including searches in neighboring large districts, as reasons for support.

Funding: Chair Deanna Kaplan announced the Winston‑Salem Foundation would provide $40,000 toward the search fees, which district staff said would cover a large portion of the contract cost.

Vote: the board approved the contract 6–3. Board members said the selection process included rubric scoring and interviews and that the contract will now be executed with Summit Search Solutions. The board did not change other consent agenda items it had approved earlier in the meeting.