Five search firms from around the Midwest — including one based in Ann Arbor — will be interviewed by the Ann Arbor school board to assist in the search for a new superintendent.

The five firms are Michigan Association of School Boards; Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates of Rosemont, Ill.; McPherson and Jacobson, LLC of Omaha, Neb.; Ray & Associates of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and David Kinsella & Associates, which is based in Ann Arbor.

The firms will be interviewed at a board meeting Wednesday in the Ann Arbor District Library's fourth floor meeting room. Board members will discuss their main criteria for a firm from 2-2:30 p.m. before beginning interviews. Each firm will have the opportunity to give a short presentation before being asked questions by trustees, a one-hour process for each firm.

Kinsella & Associates was the last firm to be added to the interview list as some board members expressed their desire to see a local company given an opportunity. Board Vice President Irene Patalan pushed for including the firm as a way of helping out a company that has a vested interest in the district.

“I was impressed with a local person who came forward and … not only has something to say, but is a part of the community, works in the community and supports the community,” she said. “Part of me says I want someone local and small, someone who understands us and wants to support us, and by doing this we can support them.”

As a part of the bid process, each firm submitted an estimated price for the search. Kinsella estimated the cost at 15 percent of the new superintendent’s first-year salary, MASB estimated a search at $22,050, Ray & Associates put its estimate at $21,000-$24,500, HYAA estimated its search at $28,000-$30,000 and McPherson and Jacobson estimated its cost at $18,500.

The firms will be seeking a replacement for Todd Roberts, who is leaving the district in October to move to North Carolina with his family. He will become the chancellor of the North Carolina School of Science and Math. The board voted Wednesday to name Robert Allen, currently the deputy superintendent of operations, as his replacement on an interim basis, beginning no later than Oct. 11.

During the study session before the regular board meeting Wednesday, trustees talked at length about what search firms they believed should be interviewed. Trustee Andy Thomas disagreed with the addition of Kinsella to the short list due to the firm's lack of experience in national superintendent searches, but ultimately voted for its inclusion.

Thomas said, based on the bids, there wasn't much difference between the firms. He said his main concern was price.

“If we can save $6,000-8,000 by picking a firm that meets our needs, then why spend that extra $6,000-8,000 for a firm that might not give us anything different,” he said.

The board has previously worked with MASB, which performed the search that led to Roberts' hiring five years ago. Trustees were asked to provide their top four firms, and each named MASB on that list.

Patalan said she was impressed with HYAA’s experience working on a national level, having placed superintendents in towns similar to Ann Arbor around the country. She said she wanted to have a range of candidates involved in the interview process.

But Trustee Susan Baskett was skeptical of HYAA’s capabilities to perform a search in Michigan. She said it was more important to find a firm that the board could work with.

“We need to find a company we gel with and will customize themselves to our specific needs,” she said.

Kyle Feldscher covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com.