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NEDERLAND — The Nederland Independent School District has begun the search for the next superintendent.

The school board met this week in a special meeting to discuss the early stages of the search process after superintendent Dr. Robin Perez announced her resignation June 11.

Board President Micah Mosley said district leaders are eager to begin the process as soon as possible.

“We have a big hole right now losing Dr. Perez,” he said. “It’s very important that we have somebody in place before school starts back in August. That was the intention of the meeting (Monday) to lay out the questions and process.”

Board members voted unanimously to hire Region 5 Education Service Center search consultant Danny Lovett.

Lovett will assist in day-to-day operations involving the search procedure and organization.

Region 5 has completed 24 successful superintendent searches, including the most recent placement of Lisa Meysembourg at Woodville ISD in May.

They also aided Nederland ISD four years ago when hiring Perez.

“They have a lot of experience,” Mosley said. “A superintendent search isn’t something you do every year or even every five years, so having someone familiar in working with the Region 5 district plays a big role in the process. We are happy to have them throughout the process.”

Lovett and his team are responsible for gathering candidate profiles, bringing all applications to the board for review, assisting in interview question development and calling candidates.

While it’s not unheard of, he stressed the most difficult time to find a candidate is mid- to late- summer.

District officials and board members developed an aggressive timeline for the search.

The job posting hit the internet on Tuesday.

Application review deadline is July 17 with first round interviews between July 20-22 and second round interviews, if needed, July 23-24.

The school board hopes to select a superintendent by July 24 with an official hire no later than Aug. 14. The first day of school is Aug. 17.

Mosley said he isn’t worried about the timeline.

“We have a pretty aggressive schedule to have somebody in place before schools start in August,” he said. “The timing is what it is. We just have to adjust and push through it. It’s not unheard of and we will get it done.”

Coming out of executive session, the school board reviewed previous candidate requirements and questions during the last hunt.

Mosley said many of those qualities are still applicable today.

“We need a head coach, somebody that’s going to bring people together to create a culture of collaboration, creativity and the same things we preach to our students,” Mosley said.

While no one is experienced in dealing with a global pandemic, the board stressed the importance of a candidate equipped in handling emergencies and national disasters.

The school district has set aside various requirements for future applicants including five years of classroom experience in a core area, central office experience, knowledge of budgeting, bonds and taxes and a desire for community involvement, among many other requirements.

Lastly, and most importantly, all board members agreed the winning contestant must have high expectations for Nederland ISD students, faculty and staff with the desire to take an already great school district and make it better.