FARMINGTON — Advertisements for a new RSU 9 superintendent will be posted Sunday, Oct. 21, in print and online, superintendent search committee Chairman Robert Pullo of Wilton said Tuesday.

Applications are due Dec. 3 and will be screened on Dec. 10, if all goes according to plan, he said.

The seven-member committee includes school board Chairman Mark Prentiss of Industry and district Director of Curriculum Leanne Condon and directors serving on the Administrator Evaluation Committee. Members of the committee hope to conduct interviews during the second and third week of January.

Current Superintendent Mike Cormier plans to retire at the end of the school year. He has been with the district for 20 years. Cormier is not participating in the search process.

The 10-town district has more than 2,300 students. There are five elementary schools, one middle school, a high school and a regional career and technical education center.

Qualifications for the position include a Maine superintendent certification or eligibility for certification. Superintendent experience is required.

There will be an online survey for people to participate in.

The committee plans to meet with administrators Tuesday, Oct. 23, and will set up meetings in October and November at each school to get input from teachers and staff, Pullo said.

“We will be looking for input and also looking for participation in the interview process,” he said.

They will also be seeking input from students, parents and community members.

“We want people to have input in what we want in a superintendent,” Director Claire Andrews of Farmington said.

Pullo said he expects there will be three different interview groups.

Anyone interested in serving on an interview committee, including board members, staff, parents, students, teachers and community members, is asked to provide their name and a short statement on why they are interested to the Central Office.

The target dates for interviews are Jan. 8 through Jan. 19, 2013.

All those serving on an interview committee will be required to interview all selected candidates to make the process fair, Andrews said. There could be three to five meetings, Pullo said.

The search committee will make recommendations to the board on a final candidate and the board will make the decision.

Director Jennifer Zweig Hebert of Starks suggested that the whole board get to meet with the final candidate or candidates or with the search committee to learn about the final candidates rather than just receiving a name in a recommendation.

Director Dr. Iris Silverstein said Hebert had a good point.

All board members are welcome to sit in on interviews, Pullo said.

The board will consider options on how to handle getting all board members informed on the final candidates, if they don't make the meetings on the interview process.

The search committee is getting assistance from the Maine School Management Association at a cost of between $700 and $1,500, depending on what is needed. That does not include advertising costs.

dperry@sunjournal.com