Board hears 10-year custodial contract proposal that would shift most custodians off district payroll

Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools officials on Oct. 14 presented the board with a proposed 10-year addendum to the district's custodial services contract with SSC that would amortize a roughly $4.25 million debt to the vendor and set a new annual contract value of about $16.88 million.

The proposal would expand contracted coverage to all district locations, include a sign-on payment equal to the debt that would be repaid over the contract term, and require a reduction in force (RIF) of district custodial staff so most custodians would transition to SSC payroll. Chief Operations Officer Lauren Richards described the sign-on payment as “in the amount equivalent to the current debt owed for fiscal year 25,” and said the agreement would offer existing custodial staff positions with SSC at their current site and rate of pay.

The proposal’s supporters framed it as a means to repay a large vendor debt while reducing ongoing local personnel costs. Richards told the board the district currently spends roughly $20.5 million annually on custodial services when combining in-house and contracted work; the addendum’s blended costs for a partial fiscal year were presented to show projected savings beginning Jan. 1, 2026.

Why it matters: SSC is one of the district’s largest creditors and the district faces multiple vendor debts that must be repaid as part of an overall debt-repayment plan.…