East Grand School District is hoping to select its next superintendent on Feb. 15.

The job posting for the superintendent position closed last week. Walt Cooper, the consultant hired by the district to help navigate the superintendent hiring process, told the school board on Tuesday that 23 total people applied for the position.

“I was please by both the number of candidates and the quality of candidates in the pool,” he said.

He added that the field has been narrowed down to eight or nine candidates, who will be submitting video responses to the same three questions to help him cut it down to a shortlist of candidates.

The list will be brought to the school board for the Jan. 18 meeting. During executive session, the board will narrow down that list to top candidates — usually boards select three.

The hope is to then bring those top candidates to East Grand for committee and board interviews on Feb. 8 and 9 so the school board can make their final selection on Feb. 15.

Cooper emphasized that this timeline would help the board keep the interest of top candidates, who will likely be recruited by multiple districts.

The superintendent job posting listed the salary range between $130,000-$150,000.

Currently serving East Grand Superintendent Frank Reeves announced his intention to retire in early 2021. His last day with the district is expected to be June 30. Reeves has been East Grand’s superintendent since 2016.