With promising candidates being scooped up by other communities almost daily, the School Committee set out an aggressive timeline to hire an interim superintendent. 

Mayor Arthur Vigeant said his office will accept resumes and expressions of interest in the position through Monday of next week and then  prvoide school committee members Katherine Hennssy and Michelle Bodin-Hettinger a list of interested candidates. 

A recommendation will then be made to the full committee, which scheduled a special meeting for July 19 to vote on a hire. 

"We are doing this on a very fast track," Vigeant said. He said out of an original group of eight or nine candidates, more than half had already been hired by other communities. "The pool of candidates is quickly diminishing."

"We are not the only community in this situation," said School Committee member Margaret Dwyer, noting that Hopkinton is also in the midst of an interim superintendent search after their district leader left abruptly.

The interim superintendent will serve in the role until a permanent replacement can be idenfitied, a process for which the School Committee has not yet set out a time frame. 

The committee encouraged internal candidates to apply for the position. Currently, Instructional Leadership Director Maureen Greulich is serving as acting superintendent. 

Former Superintendent Anthony Pope resigned effective July 2 after months of turmoil and controversy. He received a $99,000 severance package, the city revealed last week.