HALLOWELL — Regional School Unit 2 is doubling down on efforts to find a superintendent who can lead the district through the end of the school year.

The district put out a request for community members to join a search committee tasked with recommending candidates to the school board by Aug. 31. Residents of the five municipalities served by the district — Dresden, Farmingdale, Hallowell, Monmouth and Richmond — are eligible to apply and must do so by Sunday.

The search committee plans to begin meeting Aug. 25 and will include teachers, staff and students.

The interim superintendent will replace Matt Gilbert, who resigned at the end of July and became the fifth superintendent to leave the district since 2019. His last day is Sept. 30.

In response to the heavy turnover in the district’s top administrative position, the board decided to work with the Maine School Management Association to reevaluate the job description and conduct a thoughtful, more drawn-out search for Gilbert’s long-term replacement.

For the time being, the district is seeking an interim superintendent who will serve full-time from Oct. 1 until at least June 30.

“The idea is to give us the opportunity to look and really evaluate the candidates that are out there and will be able to move our RSU forward, not just short-term but long-term,” said board Chairperson Donna Seppy, at an Aug. 11 meeting. She also mentioned the board wants the community to be involved with the process.

Seppy said that the Maine School Management Association has a list of retired or former superintendents who expressed previous interest in filling an interim role. It’s unclear whether the district will pursue candidates from that pool, but school board members previously mentioned it as a possibility.

The interim administrator must have a valid superintendent certification and successful leadership experience and effective communication skills, according to the job posting, which also notes that prior experience is preferred.

The search committee will interview candidates on Aug. 30 and Aug. 31, according to the call for committee members.

To apply for the search committee, email a statement of interest to Sue Corbett at scorbett@kidsrsu.org.