Outgoing Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school board members bid farewell at their final meeting this week.
Seven new members will take office next month, as only two incumbents retained their seats in the election.
Several other members, including Chairperson Deanna Kaplan, didn’t run again after the district’s financial crisis. At the meeting, Kaplan thanked her colleagues for their work through a hard time.
“We faced some tremendous challenges, supported one another through both the good times and the difficult ones," Kaplan said. "And those experiences have created bonds that I know will last long after our service together has ended.”
Two incoming board members, Lee Childress and Ronda Mays, spoke during public comment. Mays urged the current board to stay involved with the school system.
“Don’t take too long of a break, because the historical knowledge that you have and the work that you've done, it is a value to our community as a whole," Mays said.
The new board will be sworn in and hold its first meeting on Dec. 8.