Topeka ? State Board of Education members will meet today to discuss their hunt for a new commissioner of education, a process that was derailed earlier this summer.

The board will receive an update from the National Association of State Boards of Education, which has been hired to help the often-divided panel in the search for a replacement for Andy Tompkins.

Tompkins left the job of education commissioner earlier this year, and has since taken a position at Kansas University as an associate professor in the School of Education’s educational leadership program.

In June, the board interviewed four candidates for the job, seeking to quickly replace Tompkins.

But board members could not decide on a selection and decided to restart the application process.

The board hired NASBE to help in the search. The contract specifies it cannot exceed $7,000, education officials said.

Kathy Toelkes, a spokeswoman for the state education department, said the board may review applications and decide a schedule to conduct interviews.

No timetable has been set for hiring a new commissioner.