But Blalock and Wieland said they need to hear from the rest of the board before moving ahead. Their role is to provide information and, when the time comes, to check references.

Last week, Wieland offered three options for conducting the search. One would be to run an ad for a short time and quickly get candidates in town for interviews. A second would be to run ads longer and allow about 45 days for candidates to respond and set up interviews. Those options might get someone in place by July 1 but could restrict the strength of the candidate pool, she said.

If the board goes with an interim superintendent, it could advertise next fall and potentially attract more and better candidates, Wieland said she was advised by BWP's Bill Symons.

If it pursues the third option, the board might be able to get the next person in place by the second semester of the next school year.

Blalock and Wieland said the qualities Redinger brought to the job make sense to pursue again.

They noted that she has been visible in the community, focused on the classroom and accessible to all staff from teachers to bus drivers and cafeteria workers. She also is a good listener, remembers what it was like to be in the classroom and thinks strategically. An example of strategic thinking was the proposal to streamline the division for next year, eliminating some central-office positions and sending others back into the classroom to increase the focus on instruction.

"Whoever we choose," Wieland said, "needs to come in without constant comparisons."

Pamela Gould: 540/735-1972
Email: pgould@freelancestar.com