READFIELD — The committee searching for a new school superintendent here has put out an ad for job seekers and is now looking for input from the community.

Six members of the Regional School Unit 38 school board are conducting the search for a successor to Superintendent Rich Abramson, who is retiring effective in June.

Members of the search committee are meeting with town officials, school administrators and the teacher’s association to ask them about their priorities for the school district and where they would like to see the superintendent take it, said board member Harry Lanphear, who’s leading the search.

They’re asking the same questions of the general public through an online survey available through the district’s website, www.maranacook.org. District residents also can get a paper copy of the survey by calling the central office at 685-3336.

“What we’re doing now through the survey is we’re trying to get community input before we get the applications so we get an understanding from the broader community of what they think the personal characteristics and professional skills should be,” Lanphear said.

In addition to rating the most and least important skills and tasks for a superintendent, survey respondents will provide input about potential priorities for the school district, including instructional innovation, academic results or reducing costs.

“When we set up our criteria for rating certain candidates, we’ll use this information to guide this process,” said board Chairwoman Lynette Johnson, another member of the search committee. “We’ll know what are the areas that different stakeholders think are important.”

The deadline for taking the survey is Nov. 30 and the committee is accepting job applications until Dec. 12.

The search committee hired the Maine School Management Association for an hourly fee to assist with the process, including advertising the position, collecting applications and providing advice on confidentiality and other matters.

Lanphear said that Maine School Management told them to expect seven or eight applicants, based on response to searches they assisted last year.

Preliminary interviews will begin in mid-January and the committee hopes to have a contract with a new superintendent by the end of April, to begin July 1.

Public input may also be solicited on the final two or three candidates.

“Our plan is to involve as many folks as we can in that final process,” Lanphear said.

Johnson said the committee has to talk more with Maine School Management about ways to gather input and the confidentiality measures that could be necessary.

Susan McMillan — 621-5645

smcmillan@mainetoday.com