After a four-hour closed-door meeting, Cincinnati's school board Monday said the process to find a new superintendent will begin today so a new person can be in place by early fall.

        Board members began drafting a profile on the type of person they hope to attract to Cincinnati, and they plan today to begin calling community members and city leaders to get feedback.

        “A lot of the qualities are what (outgoing superintendent Steven) Adamowski brought to the table,” said Board President Rick Williams.

        Some of those include experience with school-based budgeting, community engagement, contract negotiations and team-teaching.

        “The community will have an opportunity to add to that and to confirm it,” Mr. Williams said. He expects the profile to be complete by the end of July.

        Mr. Adamowski's departure comes at a critical time when the board is planning to launch a $1 billion school construction project, continue redesigning its low-performing high schools into smaller, program-focused schools and launch other initiatives to raise student achievement.

        Gloria Frazier, a partner in the Naples, Fla.-based International Center on Collaboration Inc., will facilitate the search while Proact Search Inc., an executive search and management consulting firm in Milwaukee, will conduct the search. The search will be conducted locally and nationally, Mr. Williams said.

        Board members have said competition will be fierce to find a qualified successor for Mr. Adamowski, who is recognized nationally for his education reforms.

        After four years with the district, Mr. Adamowski announced June 24 he is accepting a faculty position at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

        Board members plan to have candidates' applications by Aug. 23 with interviews scheduled for early September.

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