PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles School Board will interview six semi-finalists and choose two or three finalists for the superintendent position Thursday.

Superintendent Gary Cohn, who has served as the Port Angeles superintendent for eight years, has accepted a position as Everett Public Schools superintendent effective July 1.

Port Angeles Assistant Superintendent Michelle Reid is among the contenders, which include two other candidates from Washington state.

Other semi-finalists are:

• Deputy Superintendent Warren Hopkins, Arlington School District, Washington state.

• Associate Professor Jane Pryne, Northern Arizona University, and the former superintendent of Marana Unified School District in Arizona.

• Steve Rowley, a consultant and former superintendent for the Fremont Union High School District in California.

• Superintendent Rich Stewart, Dayton School District, Washington state.

• Superintendent Ray Terry, Beaver County School District in Utah.

The School Board plans to interview each for an hour during a special executive session Thursday that will begin at 8 a.m. in the Central Services Building, 216 E. Fourth St.

After the interviews, the board will deliberate in executive session, then reconvene to vote on two or three finalists in open session.

Finalist interviews are scheduled for May 12, 13 and 14, with each candidate meeting with staff, students and — in the evening — with the public in a forum.

The schedule will be announced once the format is finalized and finalists selected, Tina Smith-O’Hara, district communications specialist, said in a statement.

Several staff, students and community members will be invited to participate in the finalist interviews.

Wayne Robertson, representative of Principled Leadership Consulting — the search firm retained by the district to guide the new superintendent search process — announced the names late Friday.

Principled Leadership Consulting received 23 inquiries regarding the superintendent position, and 20 applicants completed applications.

Ten applications were received from out of state, and 10 applicants had experience as current or past superintendents, Smith-O’Hara said.

The target date for completion of the superintendent selection process is May 22. The new superintendent will be expected to report for duty on July 1.

“Board members were very pleased with the amount of input we received as we developed criteria and attributes for the new superintendent and interview process, and we intend to continue with this high degree of transparency through final candidate selection,” Board President Steve Baxter said.

“We were very pleased with the consultants’ selection and did not, after lengthy discussion and review, feel a need to make any changes.”

Comments and suggestions will continue to be accepted by e-mail at search@portangelesschools.org or can be mailed to Board of Directors, Attention: Superintendent Search, Port Angeles School District, 216 E. Fourth St. Port Angeles, WA 98362.

Other items of business may be added to agendas published at least 24 hours in advance at www.board docs.com/wa/pasd/Board.nsf.

For more information, see the district Web site, www.portangelesschools.org.