Frank Harwood, a former Lawrence school district employee and Kansas University grad, has been offered the position of superintendent of De Soto schools.

Frank Harwood, chief operations officer for the Lawrence school district, is one of five finalists for a superintendent’s job in Nebraska.

Harwood is set to interview next week with officials from the Bellevue school district in Bellevue, an Omaha suburb where Harwood’s wife, Jamie, graduated from Bellevue East High School.

“It’s the only position I’ve applied for,” said Harwood. “I do plan on being a superintendent — I wasn’t really looking, but this opportunity became available and I applied.”

Harwood has been the district’s chief operations officer since 2009 and oversees finance, human relations, facilities, maintenance, food service, transportation and technology for an organization with 10,500 students, 950 teachers, 1,600 total employees and 22 school buildings.

He started his education career in 1993 as a science teacher at Perry-Lecompton High School, before serving as an assistant principal at Leavenworth High School. In 2005 he became principal at Central Junior High School in Lawrence, then moved to the district office in 2008 as director of technology.

The Bellevue district, with 20 schools and just more than 10,000 students, is the fourth-largest school district in Nebraska.