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LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — The Fayette County school board's search for a superintendent will continue, without a firm that had been hired to help find the right candidate.
The board announced on Sunday it voted to terminate its contract with PROACT Search Inc.
The decision came in response to a report on April 18 in the Chicago Sun-Times that PROACT Search CEO Gary Solomon made racial slurs in a 1999 email when he was a school administrator and teacher in Illinois.
Given the allegations against Solomon, the board was not confident about moving forward with his company, said school board chairman John Price, who called for the meeting Sunday to fire the company.
"For the good of our students, for the good of our search, we need to move forward to terminate our contract as soon as possible," Price said.
In a Friday statement to the Herald-Leader (http://bit.ly/1I1nRFK), Solomon apologized for the language. He said it was a fleeting statement that does not reflect his beliefs.
The Lexington-Herald Leader (http://bit.ly/1zI6UPD) reports the board has paid about $9,000 of its $22,000 contract with PROACT Search.
Price says those who applied through the company will be given full consideration.
The school board hopes by July to find a replacement for Tom Shelton, who resigned in December.
"If we don't find the right candidate, we will not hire at this point and time," Price said. "We have to feel confident that we've got the right person for the job."
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