Four candidates have made the final cut in Ohio's search for a new schools chief.
Finalists named Monday include Gov. John Kasich's top education adviser, Richard Ross. The former Reynoldsburg superintendent helped craft Kasich's school-funding plan. Current Interim Superintendent Michael Sawyers is also a finalist.
This is the second time in as many years that the 19-member Ohio Board of Education has searched for a new state superintendent. The board hired an Iowa-based firm to conduct a national search to replace Stan Heffner, who resigned amid ethical questions about his relationship with an educational testing contractor.
Other finalists invited to interview March 4th are Charles Hokanson Jr., former president of the Alliance for School Choice, and former Massachusetts schools chief Michael Sentance.