YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - We could know by late April who will be selected to replace Krish Mohip as the Chief Executive Officer of the Youngstown City School District.

The school district has hired the search firm, Finding Leaders of Sagamore Hills, Ohio, to find a new CEO. The district will pay Finding Leaders about $23,000.

Mohip, CEO since the summer of 2016, has announced that he's not seeking an extension when his contract expires July 31.

Advertising to fill the position will begin this week with the application deadline set for March 22.

Finding Leaders will conduct meetings with focus groups to gather input and to learn about what various community groups want to see in the next school district leader, beginning in the week of Feb. 4.

The groups may include parents, students, teachers, staff, administrators, community groups, elected officials, clergy and representatives of area service organizations.

The search firm is expected to present a list of semi-finalists to the commission by April 4 with the first round of interviews set for the week of April 8.

A second round of interviews is planned for the week of April 22 with the selection of CEO and the negotiation of his or her contract April 26.

The new CEO will be introduced to the community April 30 with a contract beginning by Aug. 1.

Anyone interested in the CEO position may contact Finding Leaders through its website, www.findingleaders.com, or by phone at 216-225-2787.

Mohip announced in October that he planned to step down before his contract expires in July.

He became the district's first chief executive officer in the summer of 2016. 

He was appointed CEO by the Youngstown City School District Academic Distress Commission under a new state law that was enacted in 2015.