By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

The Pelham Board of Education is looking to hire its first interim superintendent and chief school financial officer before the end of January, the School Board’s president said on Jan. 13.

The Pelham BOE began accepting applications on Jan. 10 from those interested in the CSFO position, and had already received some “highly qualified” candidates on Jan. 13, said School Board President Rick Rhoades.

“We have some highly qualified candidates already,” Rhoades said during a Jan. 13 interview. “(The job opening) will be posted for two weeks, and I think we will have a pretty good idea of where we stand at the end of this week.

“We will narrow the pool down to the top two or three candidates, and then move from there,” Rhoades said.

According to the job description posted on the city of Pelham’s website, CSFO candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in a business-related field, must obtain a CSFO certification from the Alabama Department of Education within three years of employment with the Pelham school district, must have a minimum of five years experience in a business-related field and must meet the criteria for employment and certification under the Alabama Child Protection acts.

The Pelham School Board prefers candidates have a master’s degree in business administration, supervisory experience in business or school finance and be certified public accountants.

The Pelham School Board will accept résumés for the CSFO position through Jan. 24, and will work to hire someone to the position by the end of January, Rhoades said.

Rhoades also said the Pelham BOE is looking to hire an interim superintendent by the end of the month to help the city begin its separation negotiations with the Shelby County School System.

“We are going to have to get an interim superintendent,” Rhoades said.

In December, Pelham School Board members said they are targeting a July 1, 2014 split date with the county school system, and said they must work quickly over the next few months to achieve the split date.