The Columbus Board of Education last night approved a 25 thousand dollar contract with the superintendent search firm BWP & Associates.
The Illinois-based firm will not make public a list of all applicants. A spokesperson told the board last week 15 candidates have applied so far in a process that is open until Saturday. BWP will evaluate the candidates and forward a portion of them to the board by September 5th, but will not disclose the names. The board's initial superintendent search was brought to a temporary halt in March, when the state auditor accused board members of violating open meetings laws by making decisions on candidates behind closed doors. The board restarted the process with a new search firm, and has promised to be more transparent.