TOPEKA ? The State Board of Education today decided to continue searching for a new education commissioner.

The board emerged from more than a one-hour closed-door meeting to announce that it had not selected a replacement for Andy Tompkins, who recently resigned and took a position at Kansas University.

Two candidates were being considered — assistant education commissioner Alexa Posny, and Manhattan-Ogden school superintendent Sharol Little, who is retiring tomorrow from that district.

“We decided we needed to have more discussions,” Board Chairman Steve Abrams, a Republican from Arkansas City, said.

Board member Bill Wagnon, a Democrat from Topeka, said the board was re-opening the entire process of hiring a new commissioner.

He said he believes the board should hire a professional “headhunter” to look for applicants, and that the process could take up to a year.

Abrams said the board will discuss how to proceed at its next meeting July 11-12.