The Beaufort County Board of Education is seeking public input on the qualities and qualifications that the community wants to see in a new superintendent. A community survey, available online and in hard copy at the Board of Education offices, will be available through July 9.

The survey is part of the process laid out by the North Carolina School Board Association, the group responsible for conducting the search for the next top administrator of Beaufort County Schools, a process that will likely countinue through November.

Advertising for the position began June 1, a month before sitting BCS Superintendent Dr. Don Phipps is scheduled to begin his new position as superintendent of Caldwell County Schools. Upon Phipps’ departure, Assistant Superintendent Mark Doane will take the reins of the school system in an interim capacity.

On July 17, the Board of Education will meet to review community and staff input, with the NCSBA drafting a custom leadership profile on what Beaufort County would like to see in the ideal candidate. Applications for the position are due no later than July 30, and the Board of Education will review applications beginning Aug. 10.

The board will then select first-round interviewees during a meeting on Aug. 28, with interviews beginning the week of Sept. 10. Prior to final interviews, the NCSBA will conduct thorough vetting of each of the candidates, including interviews with references, criminal background checks and credit checks.

Final interviews will take place the week of Oct. 8, at which point the board will decide on the terms of the job offer. Following contract negotiations between the candidate and the school system attorney, the new superintendent will tentatively be introduced to the public on Oct. 23, according to the timeline.

According to the schedule laid out by the NCSBA, the new superintendent will tentatively begin work on Nov. 26.

While the Board of Education will have the final say in who fills the vacancy, the public is encouraged to offer its input via the community survey. The survey can be accessed online under the administration tab on the Beaufort County Schools website at www.beaufort.k12.nc.us. Hard copies are also available at 321 Smaw Avenue in Washington.

In honor of Phipps’ eight years at the helm of BCS, a special reception will be held at the North Carolina Estuarium from 5 to 7 p.m. on June 14. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.