The search for a superintendent for next school year is under way at the Blair Oaks School District.
The board has said it is seeking a permanent superintendent for the 2023-24 school year.
After longtime Superintendent Jim Jones retired in June following a nearly two-month unexplained leave of absence, High School Principal Chris Marshall stepped in to serve as acting superintendent until the board found an interim superintendent.
The board had three applicants for that position.
The board hired Mark Harvey, a previous interim superintendent at Oak Grove R-6 Schools and Superintendent at Pike County R-3 in Clarksville, as interim superintendent in August, just in time for him to take the helm for the current school year.
As for the permanent superintendent position, applications are set to close Nov. 11, Assistant Superintendent Kimberley Walters said. Walters, who does not intend to apply for the position, has been serving as district liaison to the Missouri School Boards' Association to set up meetings, answer emails and fill out forms as needed during the process.
The start date for the superintendent is July 1, 2023.
Interviews for the position will be held in late November, and she said the board would ideally interview three or four candidates. The board is planning to hold a special meeting to review superintendent applicants Nov. 21.
The News Tribune asked each board member prior to Harvey's selection in August what they might like to see in the next superintendent.
Several board members were looking for good communication skills and an ability to continue to foster high academic achievement within the district.
"I always look at every opportunity that change creates as an opportunity to learn from our past and see what we can do to improve things," board member John Weber said at the time.