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The Jordan Board of Education is adding more time — and new decision-makers — in its search for the school district's next superintendent.

Board members have agreed to delay making the hire from Dec. 14 to the first half of next year, when at least two new members will join the board. The board also plans to create a selection committee that will include not only the seven board members, but parents, teachers, principals and mayors of cities in the southwest Salt Lake Valley district.

That means the board will need to appoint an acting superintendent in December to take the reins when Barry Newbold retires on Jan. 1.

"It would have been more ideal if we could have had someone in place the first of the year," said board President Peggy Jo Kennett. "However, the community is saying, 'Take more time,' and as a board, we're striving to be responsive."

The board hosted six community meetings in recent weeks to gather feedback from Jordan residents on what kind of leader they want. But the selection timeline emerged as one of the biggest concerns. Many, including candidates for school board, worried that the process was moving too rapidly and that new board members wouldn't have a say in choosing the next top administrator.

"We were worried about how that would play out for working conditions for the next few years," said Jolynne Alger, a South Jordan parent who manages a 2,200-member Facebook group for Jordan constituents. "A lot of parents were worried that [the process] was rushed. … We feel like [board members] listened."

Kennett is one board member at risk of losing her seat. She's running for re-election against Nathan Gedge. Four newcomers are vying for two other seats where incumbents aren't on the Nov. 2 ballot.

Carmen Freeman, vice president of the Jordan board, said board members were responding to the "groundswell" of public opinion, but they also hope to attract a larger pool of qualified candidates by extending the application time. The deadline for hiring a superintendent on or before July 1 means that a superintendent who is under contract for the current school year could consider moving to Jordan.

"We felt like it was too short of a time period, and it behooved the district to wait," Freeman said.

The Utah School Boards Association is handling Jordan's nationwide search. —

Jordan's search for superintendent

Deadline for applications • Dec. 6

Appointment of interim superintendent • Dec. 14

Superintendent Barry Newbold steps down • Jan. 1

New superintendent hire • On or before July 1