BRUNSWICK — The Brunswick School Board is hosting a public forum Wednesday night for the community to weigh in on what qualities to look for in the next district superintendent. 

The school board is still working out some of the logistics of the superintendent search process, and will discuss specifics for the Superintendent Search Advisory Committee at a special school board meeting Dec. 10. 

Brunswick Superintendent of Schools Paul Perzanoski announced in September that he will retire at the end of the school year after more than a decade as superintendent. 

“I have appreciated the opportunity to work with many hard-working school board members over the last 12 years, as well as a dedicated staff and supportive community,” he wrote in a letter to James Grant, school board chair. “I will continue to advocate for public education as long as I’m able in some shape, capacity or form. Thank you for electing me to serve.”

Grant said in October that the board hopes to have someone to replace Perzanoski by the time he leaves in June. 

Perzanoski joined the district in 2007, “at a time when Brunswick was experiencing more change than it had ever experienced in its entire history,” former school board member Corey Perreault said earlier. The Brunswick Naval Air Station was closing, taking thousands of people, including roughly 10% of the district’s students, and Durham students were moving to Freeport, she said.

Between 2008 and 2012, the department closed Hawthorne Elementary School, which is now being used as the district’s administrative offices; Longfellow Elementary School, now Bowdoin College’s Edwards Center for Art and Dance, and Jordan Acres Elementary School.

“Paul’s steady leadership style kept Brunswick from losing what makes us a great school department, while reducing our size and budget where necessary,” she said.

Perzanoski also oversaw the construction of two new schools: Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School, which opened in 2011, and the Kate Furbish Elementary School, which is slated to open next year on the grounds of the old Jordan Acres.

He helped implement a public pre-kindergarten program in Brunswick – a pilot program launched at Coffin Elementary School this year and is expected to continue on a larger scale at the Kate Furbish School in the future. 

Now, the district is preparing to hire a new leader to guide the schools through a new season as the town continues with growth and redevelopment efforts. Community members are encouraged to attend Wednesday’s forum, during which participants will work in small groups and have individual opportunities to express their desired qualities for the new superintendent.

The forum is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Harriet Beecher Stowe School.