The County School Board on Thursday night voted to approve a contract with a firm to help find the next Hamilton County school superintendent.
Coleman Lew + Associates earlier estimated the cost of the search would be $60,000.
School Board Attorney Scott Bennett said the firm has already begun contacting potential candidates.
One of those interested in the job is the interim superintendent, Dr. Kirk Kelly. Some board members wanted to go ahead and name him to the post, but Dr. Kelly asked that the full search process go forward.
On the topic of community involvement in the selection, attorney Bennett advised the board to get the guidance of the search firm on how that should be handled.
He noted that in 1995 there was a Blue Ribbon Advisory Committee that helped select Jesse Register as superintendent. That was before meetings could be live streamed, he noted.
Attorney Bennett said, "Let's see what the search firm thinks" on how to engage various groups in the process.
He said the firm will have a representative at an upcoming board retreat. That was set for Dec. 9 and 10. The session is to be facilitated by Dr. Tammy Grissom of the Tennessee School Board Association. It is to include discussion of the superintendent selection, developing a board strategic plan and other topics.
All board members voted in favor of those dates except for Rhonda Thurman, who said she is in charge of a church dinner that Friday night and has company coming the following week.
Ms. Thurman said prior strategic plans get shelved or shredded. She said, "No one is ever held accountable."
Tiffanie Robinson, a new board member, said the panel could focus on "actionable plans" it could implement.
Also at the board meeting, Ms. Thurman questioned a number of planned field trips. She noted the problems caused to the school system by a trip to Gatlinburg.
Ms. Thurman questioned a costly trip by an elementary group. In earlier years, she said, elementary students did not go out of county and middle school students did not go out of state.
She and David Testerman voted against the list of field trips.