BEAVERCREEK — The Beavercreek City School District Board of Education is looking for community input as it moves forward with hiring a new district superintendent.

The board has already hosted a community forum for district stakeholders to voice their thoughts on a new superintendent, plans to host another such forum Jan. 13 and is also soliciting opinions through a survey.

The school board began taking steps to find a new superintendent after current superintendent Bill McGlothlin announced plans in November to retire from his position effective July 31, 2016. The board is working with K-12 Business Consulting, a Columbus-area firm that aids school districts in superintendent and treasurer searches, to find a replacement.

“We think hiring a superintendent for a school district is probably the most important decision that a board of education will make,” said Chris Mohr, a consultant with K-12. “Your public schools in a community are one of the most important organizations that serve the community. Obviously the person that you choose to lead the organization is very important.

“People have opinions about their kids’ schools. It’s best to have those opinions up front and let them have a hand in the process.”

After the public forum to be held this week, Mohr said K-12 will take comments it receives, as well as information from community surveys, to compile a report about the school district. That report will be used as K-12 recruits potential candidates, “so they get a good feel for the district,” Mohr said.

He said the board will eventually be provided information on everyone who applies for the job. He also said that K-12 will provide recommendations for the individuals “that most closely match what we heard,” but he also noted that, “Ultimately, it’s always up to the board if they want to take our recommendations.”

According to Mohr, the plan is for the first round of candidate interviews to take place in early March, with final interviews taking place over the course of three days at the end of March. Mohr said the finalists for the position would likely come in and meet with various groups of community stakeholders before interviewing with the board. Mohr hoped the hiring process would be at a place where the board could act on a candidate by April 7.

The Jan. 13 community forum will be held starting 7 p.m. at 1728 Dayton Xenia Road, Xenia, in the Trebein Elementary School gym. The superintendent search questionnaire can be accessed at www.beavercreek.k12.oh.us.