The Warren County R-III School Board is in the beginning stages of finding a replacement for departing Superintendent Dr. Jim Chandler, who announced retirement in May. Chandler will remain in the position until June 30.Board President John Clinger said the initial objective is to fill the vacant position on the board left after the resignation of John Bradshaw. The board will conduct candidate interviews in a special open session meeting June 28 at 7 p.m.Once the board is complete, it will begin moving forward with its candidate search by welcoming the Missouri School Board Association to present at its July 13 meeting.“They will talk about what a superintendent search looks like,” said Clinger. “We’re not sure whether we’re going to use them or somebody else to help with our search. They’re coming out to provide us information, which will be educational for those in attendance to know what’s involved in the search.”With Chandler retiring near the end of the school year, they did not to rush a decision and hire for the 2017-18 school year.“Since his resignation came out later, and we accepted it, we’re kind of out of the superintendent cycle,” said Clinger. “Most candidates are already engaged under contract. We felt like our pool wouldn’t be in the best interest of the district to hire somebody very quickly.”Clinger says the board isn’t exactly sure of its time line. Traditionally, superintendent positions are filled by February, but he says R-III may have its candidate before then.“We want to involve the community in what kind of qualities they would like to see in a superintendent,” said Clinger. “We’re planning to do some focus groups and talk about the qualities they would look for in that position.”The board anticipates being able to post the vacancy by October. Once candidates apply, they will be screened and interviews will be conducted with the finalists.“It’s an important position to fill so we want to make sure we reflect what the community is thinking when we’re searching for somebody,” said Clinger.Warren County R-III School District