How important is it that the next superintendent of the Troy City Schools be a visionary? Or have proven success in a classroom? Or have the ability to collaborate with different segments of the community?

Those questions and more are being posed to the public as part of a free community survey being conducted during the search for the Troy schools’ next superintendent.

“We want to get the community’s input,” said Roxie Kitchens, school board chairman. “We want the input of the faculty and staff, teachers, parents, community members … any who is interested in education in the city of Troy.”

That’s why the board and its search firm, the Alabama Association of School Boards, created a free, online survey for the community.

“It takes less than 10 minutes to complete,” Kitchens said. “And it asks a wide range of questions, from whether or not you think the next superintendent should come from outside the school system to what types of challenges the school district faces.”

The survey, which is accessible at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TroySuperintendent, will be online until 10 p.m. on Sunday, April 10. It is free and all responses will be confidential.

“The board will only see the results from the survey,” Kitchens said. “We’re hoping to have a good response. We’ll be posting a link to the survey on the school district’s website, and we’re encouraging everyone to go ahead and take the survey.”

The board began advertising last week for a new superintendent, seeking to replace Dr. Linda Felton-Smith who stepped aside during the final year of her contract to serve as a consultant. Former district employee Jimmy Matthews has been hired as an interim superintendent, but Kitchens said the board has set an aggressive timetable for hiring a new leader.

“We hope to begin interviewing the second week of May,” she said. “The interviews will be a full day for each candidate, including visits around town and an open interview session at night that the public can attend.”

If interviews are successful, the board hopes to extend an offer and have a new superintendent in place by July 1. “That’s important to us, and if the timeline works, whomever we hire would be able to give a 30-day notice and make the July 1 deadline.”