The Warren County School District is beginning a search for a new superintendent — and it’s a process we hope will include the public.

A good, hard look back at this year’s school consolidation talks should provide school board members all the impetus they need to make sure concerned parents are engaged in the process to hire a new leader for the county school district. A perceived lack of information about options and discussions for changes to the way education is provided in Warren County was bandied about often over the past year. That perception, coupled with the unpopular — but incredibly necessary — shifting of some Sheffield students to Warren Area High School during the day led to turnover on the school board.

We’re not saying the board should turn hiring a new superintendent into a popularity contest.

But as the search narrows it would make sense to have community meetings to get a sense of what parents would like to see in a new superintendent. It makes sense to create a survey so that those interested can make their thoughts known.

It will be impossible for the board to make everyone happy with its choice of a new superintendent.

But giving the public a voice helps build some consensus in the community, and that’s important after the discussions of the past year.

The flip side is also true. Hiring someone in a closed process only engenders the concerns over lack of transparency the board heard last year.