The position of superintendent of the Bowling Green Independent School District has drawn 23 candidates, one from as far away as South Dakota.

That’s according to a demographic report prepared for the Superintendent Screening Committee by the Kentucky School Board Association, which collected the applications for the position. The job has been open since John Settle left Sept. 30 to work at Murray State University.

Applicants from nine states applied, including nine from Kentucky and four from Tennessee.

Six of the candidates were women, and 11 hold doctoral degrees. The candidates come from a variety of administrative positions, including seven who are currently superintendents in other districts, and six school principals.

The school board association, a nonprofit group that represents the state’s school boards, does not publicly release more detailed information about the candidates during the hiring process.

One of the candidates is Joe Tinius, the interim superintendent for the city schools. He was assistant superintendent under Settle.

Ken Scott, the school board association’s superintendent search consultant, presented the screening committee with full information on each candidate Wednesday.

Screening committee members were selected from among several groups, each of which voted to elect committee members. One principal, two certified staff members (teachers and counselors), one non-teaching employee, two parents and a school board member make up the committee.

The committee’s members include: Rhonda Counts, secretary to the superintendent; Gary Fields, Bowling Green High School principal; Charles Glass, parent of BGHS and W.R. McNeill Elementary School students (he also is a teacher, but was selected as a parent); Diane Howerton, Bowling Green School Board member; Shanna Paul, district psychologist; Natalie Pinerola, parent of Bowling Green Junior High School student; and Ron Skillern, BGHS teacher.

Scott said he believes the screening committee will do well.

&#8220They’re a nice group and I’m sure they will be an easy group to work with and do a very capable job,” he said.

The screening committee will review the files over the weekend and decide at a meeting Tuesday whom they would like to consider further, Howerton said.

The screening committee will eventually choose several candidates to present to the school board, which makes the final hiring decision. Howerton said &#8220five is the goal” for the number of candidates to recommend.

After Tuesday’s meeting, background and reference checks will be conducted until Nov. 8, according to a schedule provided by Howerton.

After that, the committee will turn the applicant files over to the school board, with the recommended candidates noted.

The schedule calls for the board to conduct interviews between Nov. 15 and Nov. 23, and to hire a superintendent by Dec. 1. The new superintendent is scheduled to begin work Jan. 1.

Howerton said Scott told the screening committee there might have been more candidates for the position if the job did not begin in the middle of a school year.

&#8220Usually people aren’t looking for a job mid-year,” Howerton said.