Lawrence Public Schools district offices, 110 McDonald Drive.

When the Lawrence school board meets Monday, it will make the first step in a lengthy search process to find the district’s new superintendent.

The board is expected to discuss and ultimately vote whether to approve the use of a search firm in the process, according to the agenda for the Monday meeting. David Cunningham, the district’s chief legal counsel and executive director of human resources, will present a report on the tentative timeline for that process Monday.

As outlined in the meeting agenda, Cunningham’s report will present board members with two options for conducting a superintendent search. This process can be done “in-house” by assigning the task to the district’s HR department, or by hiring a search firm and asking district HR staff for supplemental support. Cunningham’s report recommends the latter option.

The timeline for the superintendent search, according to the school board agenda, would begin Monday, with HR preparing and sending out a request for information the next day. The board would then begin screening submissions, interviewing firms and later selecting a firm by the end of August.

The superintendent search would take place tentatively from August to December, followed by screenings of potential candidates in January and candidate interviews in February. A new superintendent would then be selected the next month.

Kyle Hayden, who was hired last spring as superintendent, served less than a year in the position before announcing plans to transfer to a different role within the district. Anna Stubblefield, the district’s deputy superintendent, will serve as interim superintendent until Hayden’s replacement is found.

She has served in that role since July 1, when Hayden began his new role as the district’s chief operations officer.

In other business, the board will:

• Hear an update on the Kansas Education Systems Accreditation from Jerri Kemble, assistant superintendent of leading, learning and technology, and Terry McEwen, the district’s director of assessment, research and accountability.

• Hear a report on the possible addition of procedures for addressing lost property charges and student fee waivers, as recommended by the board policy committee. The report will be presented by David Cunningham.

The board will meet on Monday at district offices, 110 McDonald Drive. The board will have a goal-setting session at 4 p.m., a closed-door executive session to discuss teacher negotiations at 6 p.m., and its regular public meeting at 7 p.m.