The Falls Church City School Board is about to take the next step in the process of filling the position of superintendent in preparation for the June retirement of Dr. Lois F. Berlin. Berlin has served for seven years as the FCCPS superintendent.

The Falls Church City School Board is about to take the next step in the process of filling the position of superintendent in preparation for the June retirement of Dr. Lois F. Berlin. Berlin has served for seven years as the FCCPS superintendent.

In all, 26 completed applications arrived from Virginia to California to New York and include current and former superintendents, central office administrators, principals and others. The school board has blocked out Feb. 1 – 15 to conduct the first round of interviews.

Of the applicants, six are current or former superintendents, 11 are assistant or deputy superintendents, five are central office administrators, two are principal- or building-level administrators, and two do not fit in the aforementioned categories.

Twenty of the applicants are male, while six are female. Nineteen are described as white, and seven are described as non-white.

Ten of the applicants are from Virginia, while 16 are from out of the state. Out-of-state candidates are from Maryland (4), Pennsylvania (3), New York (2), and one each from Wisconsin, Illinois, California, Oklahoma, Georgia, Rhode Island and Nevada.

“Our nationwide search for a new leader, which began last fall, has resulted in a strong, diverse pool of high-quality candidates,” said School Board Chairman Joan Wodiska. “The School Board is more confident than ever that we will find a new superintendent to lead us into the future.”