CAPE ELIZABETH — The only candidate for superintendent of schools has withdrawn from consideration, the School Board chairwoman announced Friday morning.

The board will now try to hire an interim school chief for the 2016-2017 school year, Chairwoman Elizabeth Scifres said in an email.

Craig King, superintendent of Regional School Unit 10 in Dixfield, withdrew after the board met privately Wednesday night and made no decision about offering him the job.

King was one of two finalists, and he toured the schools Wednesday. The other finalist, Steven Bailey, who heads the Central Lincoln County School System, withdrew from consideration last week.

Superintendent Meredith Nadeau, who has been with the School Department for five years, announced her resignation in January. She will become school chief July 1 in the Newmarket School District in New Hampshire. 

Scifres had said earlier in the week that King’s visit was “not a formality” and that the board would be considering him carefully.

She said the School Board is now looking for an interim superintendent and will start the search process for a permanent replacement next winter.

“It is not unusual for a school department to need more than one cycle of the search process to find a good fit,” Scifres said. “The School Board takes its charge of finding the right match for our district very seriously and is committed to hiring the best person it can to lead Cape Elizabeth Schools.”

Scifres said the School Board will be posting updates on its superintendent search website over the next few weeks.

Kate Gardner can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 125 or kgardner@theforecaster.net. Follow her on Twitter: @katevgardner.

Craig King