The Glasgow Independent Schools Board of Education chose Thursday a search consultant to help find a successor to departing Superintendent Sean Howard. 

Board chairwoman Amelia Kiser said that while the district isn’t required to hire a consultant, the process would be extremely difficult for the board to complete on its own.

“It’s a very daunting process,” she said. “It’s just better to have someone who’s more familiar with that process than us to sort of guide us through that,” she said.

In choosing a consulting firm, the board had two options: the Kentucky Association of School Administrators and the Kentucky School Boards Association.

The board decided to enlist KASA because the board worked with Phil Eason, a consultant with the group, during the last search for a new superintendent, Kiser said. Eason, who at the time had his own firm, skillfully guided the board through the process of finding a superintendent, she said.

“Everybody agreed it was a smooth process and efficient,” Kiser said.

Kiser also said she remembers using KSBA’s services in an early search for a new superintendent, finding that their methods weren’t as straightforward.

According to a KASA document, its superintendent search consulting services cost $7,000.

KSBA, according to one of the organization’s own documents, would charge $8,000.

The board amended its measure to choose KASA, with a specific request to work with Eason.

Kiser told the board she would contact Eason and set up a time for the board to meet with him to decide what they’re looking for in a superintendent. She said that, depending on how long the search takes, an interim superintendent might be necessary.

The new superintendent could potentially be someone already working in the school district, Kiser said. “We don’t even know who’s interested at this point,” she said. 

Diane Reece, administrative secretary to the superintendent, said there is no set deadline for finding a new superintendent. 

“The board, I’m sure, will work as quickly as they can to fill his absence,” she said.

Howard, who did not attend the meeting, spoke to the Daily News on Wednesday, saying that he took a job as the superintendent at Ashland Independent Schools so he can be closer to where he grew up. “It’s basically home to me,” he said.

He’s found his stint as superintendent, which began in 2010 rewarding, Howard said.

“I’m grateful to have been given the opportunity,” he said. 

— Follow Daily News reporter Jackson French on Twitter @Jackson_French or visit bgdailynews.com.