Wayne County Public Schools is taking its first steps in finding a new permanent superintendent.

During the regular meeting Monday, Wayne County Board of Education Chair Chris West led the discussion on how to go about the search for WCPS’s new Superintendent.

He said the school board has two main options – finding superintendent candidates itself or using an outside search firm.

The North Carolina School Board Association is one such firm that could help the district find its next superintendent.

West says the Board of Education needs to start laying the groundwork to hire WCPS’s next leader.

The Wayne County School Board agreed to have its law firm Schwartz and Shaw to start collecting proposals from outside firms for the superintendent search.

Dr. Michael Dunsmore resigned as WCPS’s superintendent last month after the district learned it had a nearly $5 million fund balance deficit.