VIENNA — The Mathews Local School District will be navigating the 2026-27 school year with a new superintendent at the helm — it’s just a question of who.

At a meeting earlier this month, the Mathews Board of Education accepted the retirement of Superintendent Russell McQuaide, effective July 31, and authorized treasurer Bradley Panak and board president Joel Polonius to take necessary actions to execute McQuaide’s retirement in accordance with his employment agreement and state law.

McQuaide held the position for eight years, accepting a three-year, $90,000 contract to take the position after serving as a principal at Bloomfield Elementary. McQuaide was selected from 23 applicants at the time.

The board had a work session Wednesday to set the parameters for McQuaide’s replacement, according to Panak.

“We did have it posted through the (Trumbull County) Educational Service Center, and the ESC posts it to all the educators in Trumbull and Ashtabula County,” Panak said. “We’re going to accept applications for a month.”

Panak said the qualifications and characteristics were standard — possessing a valid state superintendent’s license or being able to obtain one, as well as vision, strategic planning, and crisis and change management, according to the employment application listing posted by the ESC.

The listing also gives a timeline for the hiring process, which will give the board two weeks — March 27 through April 15 — to review candidates.

The interview process will start a day later and run through April 30. The board is expected to hire its chosen candidate on or before that day in a special meeting, with an Aug. 1 official start date.

“We’re going to try and hire by the end of April if possible; it’s all really tentative,” Panak said. He’s leaving, the administrative contract runs until July 31, so a new person needs to be starting by Aug. 1.”

In other action at the February meeting, the board:

• Approved a contract with the Trumbull County Educational Service Center to provide special education and other services for a revised estimated annual amount of $770,000 for the 2025-26 school year. A $90,025 increase resulted from 333 more preschool student days and 274 more ED student days than previously estimated.

• Approved Janice Lucas, Michelle Sinkovich, Lisa Albani and Gail Suchanek as after-school intervention staff at a rate of $30 per hour, 1.5 hours per session, March 16 through April 18, as needed.

• Approved open enrollment in all grades for the 2026-27 school year, at the superintendent’s discretion.

• Approved a resolution authorizing the district’s 2026-27 membership in the Ohio High School Athletic Association.