CUMBERLAND — The School Administrative District 51 Board of Directors may choose a candidate for superintendent by next March or early April, Chairwoman Karen Campbell said Tuesday.

The School Board discussed its time-line Monday for replacing Robert Hasson, who is leaving the job after 20 years Nov. 1 to become deputy executive director of the Maine School Management Association.

Sally Loughlin, SAD 51 director of curriculum, assessment, instruction and professional development since 2010, and former assistant superintendent of Topsham-based SAD 75, will serve as interim superintendent through June 30, 2014.

Campbell noted that the board is in the “infancy stages” of choosing Hasson’s permanent replacement. She presented the board on Monday with a schedule and process for the search, as well as initial information from search firms on services they offer, their availability and costs, and their familiarity with the district.

Campbell said she expects the planning phase to take about four weeks, and the board could hear from several consulting firms within that time. The board could also conduct the search internally.

“No decision has been made whether or not we’ll use a consultant, but we’re certainly looking at that option,” she said.

The board could finalize and extend an offer to a candidate for superintendent by next March or early April, Campbell said.

Alex Lear can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 113 or alear@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @learics.