Pittsburgh families may soon discover who their next school superintendent is going to be: The Pittsburgh Public Schools board has narrowed its pool of applicants and will make an announcement later this month.
The search firm the district hired to help find candidates, BWP & Associates, narrowed down a pool of 30 applicants to five finalists. The consultant group's Kevin Castner confirmed that the board is in talks with one candidate, though he added the board could go back to one of the four remaining finalists if negotiations fall through.
Board president Sala Udin would not confirm on Wednesday if the district is in negotiations with one candidate. “We have interviewed all five and that is as much as we are able to say at this point," he said. "We are rushing as fast as we can because we want to get this done in time for schools to open in August."
Udin said that a vote could take place on July 27 or earlier.
Former superintendent Anthony Hamlet left his position in October, after a state investigation found that he violated the ethics law. The process that led to his hiring in 2016 was criticized as journalists uncovered discrepancies and plagiarism in his resume.
“You can rest assured that all candidates who are being seriously considered will undergo a vigorous background check,” Udin said.
Still, the process has moved briskly.
The board is not using the same search consultant as it did in 2016. The 2022 search was funded with $60,000 from two Pittsburgh foundations.
Caster said this search was expedited by 30 days. Udin said that’s because the board spend January and February picking a consulting firm. After the firm was retained in March, there was a period for public input and recruitment. Some criticized that process as rushed, and said the public hadn't been given enough notice about sessions.
Candidates' names will remain anonymous: Castner said that probably brought in more candidates than an open search would have.
Last month a group of parents, students and teachers spoke in favor of the board hiring interim superintendent Wayne Walters during the board’s monthly public hearing. But Walters has not said if he applied for the position.
