The Isle of Wight County School Board announced last week that it will begin the process of hiring a new superintendent by seeking community input on desired qualifications.

The School Board has created a survey related to superintendent criteria, which is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/IsleofWightSuptSearch and on the home page of the division website. Hard copies of the survey will also be available at the school board office as well as at each school’s main office.

In addition to the survey, the board will hold two community input sessions:

4Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. at Smithfield High School, 14171 Turner Drive, Smithfield

4Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. at Georgie Tyler Middle School, 23320 N. Court St., Windsor.

Current superintendent Dr. Katrise Perera announced in December her plans to resign at the end of the current school year. She said a family matter is requiring her to relocate.

“Serving as superintendent of Isle of Wight County Schools has been an honor and a privilege — one that I have come to learn requires a laser-like focus,” Perera said in announcing her resignation in December. “More recently, I have had to deal with family issues from a distance, which has challenged my laser focus. While I sincerely regret the timing of this announcement, it is something that I can no longer delay. Going forward into next school year, I think it is in the best interest of the school division and myself that I seek opportunities closer to my family, most especially my mother.”

“Hiring a new superintendent is the biggest task that we as School Board members face, so we want to be certain that the community has an opportunity to share their voice in this process,” said School Board Chairman Kent Hildebrand. “We hope that parents, staff, and residents will take the time to fill out the survey and attend the community input sessions.”

The school board selected the Virginia School Boards Association to assist the board with the superintendent search.