Gwinnett board narrows equity‑audit RFI to two finalists, plans recorded virtual interviews

The Gwinnett County Board of Education agreed on May 12 to pursue a two‑firm interview process to select a partner for a multi‑year equity‑audit and scenario‑planning engagement.

The governance session considered five respondents to an RFI and board members discussed merits of several firms. Several members recommended Education Resource Strategies (ERS) and American Institutes for Research (AIR). One board member said the choice was “between two for very different reasons,” citing ERS’s strategic model and AIR’s national research capacity and Georgia connections.

The board voted informally to move forward with recorded virtual interviews of the two firms and asked staff to arrange the interviews. Two board members will conduct each interview, the sessions will be recorded so other members can review them, and staff will check whether incoming Superintendent Dr. Estrella can join the interview panels.

Board members emphasized the importance of including the new superintendent in the selection given the engagement’s strategic nature and multi‑year scope. The RFI requested partners to support an equity audit with a longitudinal return‑on‑investment framework, forecasting and scenario planning for enrollment and economic trends, and operational and fiscal evaluation.

Next steps: staff will schedule virtual interviews with AIR and ERS, record them for board review, and proceed toward final selection after interviews.