None of the two finalists for Salem-Keizer superintendent got the job.

Salem-Keizer School Board members announced Wednesday they will continue the search for a superintendent and interview more candidates.

Finalists Janet Schulze, assistant superintendent of high schools at the San Francisco Unified School District, and Michael Sorum, deputy superintendent of Leadership, Learning and Student Support Services at the Fort Worth Independent School District, were both notified they are not being offered the job.

“Both of them are excellent candidates. They will be a superintendent at some place somewhere. We just feel that the fit wasn’t right with the Salem-Keizer School District,” said School Board Chairman Jim Green.

Green said the board was hoping to see a bit more experience from the two finalists during a marathon round of questions from the staff and community on Monday and Tuesday.

He would not specify what extra experience the board was looking for, instead saying the board had decided to go in a different direction with the search.

As a board member, Green said feedback from the community did play some role in considering whether to hire the candidates. Feedback forms from the public, he said, showed that both candidates were very well liked and well spoken. Some thought they had enough educational background while others were concerned that both have not served as superintendent.

Ultimately though it’s up to the 7-member school board to decide who to hire.

“I don’t think for the board that was as big of an issue as we just didn’t quite feel it was the best fit for our district,” Green said.

With an annual salary and benefits advertised at up to $235,000 — more than any other Oregon superintendent currently makes — the expectations of who the school board hires are high.

The Salem-Keizer School District is the second-largest in the state, serving more than 40,000 students.

Now the search firm will go out and recruit more candidates for Salem-Keizer superintendent, which the board wants to hire before July 1.

The district will continue with an interim superintendent until the board names a permanent superintendent. If the school board does not find a superintendent by July 1, the board will have to extend the contract for the current interim superintendent or find someone to continue the job temporarily.

“That’s not ideal,” Green said. “You want to ensure that whomever you bring in has the ability to have their — for a lack of a better term — imprint on what the school district will look like and where we go with the strategic plan and how we continue our academic growth with our kids.”

School board members have said they are looking for a superintendent who will take the school district to the next level.

The consulting fee for the search firm Ray and Associates Inc. will remain the same, Green said, although there will be costs for expenses such as plane tickets, lodging and advertisements to bring in more superintendent candidates.

In January, the Salem-Keizer School Board approved a transfer of $48,300 from a contingency fund to pay for the superintendent search, which includes money they would pay to the search firm.

The next superintendent will suceed Sandy Husk, who announced in October she was resigning to become the Chief Executive Officer of the college-readiness program Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID).

Paula Radich, a retired Newberg superintendent, is currently serving as Salem-Keizer superintendent temporarily until June 30.

qwong@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6694 or follow at Twitter.com/QWongSJ