BOARDMAN — The Boardman Local School District may have a new superintendent named by early next month.

John W. Fryda, board president, said after Monday’s regular board meeting at Boardman Center Intermediate School that school officials had received 11 applicants from those interested in the top post to replace Timothy L. Saxton, who is retiring July 31 after deciding earlier this year not to renew a retire / rehire contract.

Interviews with prospective candidates are ongoing. Of the 11 applicants, four finalists remain, Fryda noted.

No date has been established for hiring the next superintendent. That decision rests largely on how long the interview and vetting processes take, he said.

After having graduated from Boardman High School in 1984, Saxton attended Grove City College in Pennsylvania, where he changed his major to education and math after initially enrolling to study electrical engineering.

In 1999, Saxton began his two years as the high school’s assistant principal before moving up to principal, at which he served 11 years.

In December 2015, the board of education unanimously voted to hire Saxton as superintendent before he took over in August 2016. He replaced Frank Lazzeri, who held the top post for 12 years.

Also, he began as the district’s director of operations in mid-2013 and has been instrumental in helping to build a new sports field at the high school the following year.

Saxton also has a strong background in education. His father, Larry Saxton, began in the 1960s in the district as a math teacher before being named as Boardman’s head football coach and assistant principal at the former Boardman Glenwood Middle School, now Boardman Glenwood Junior High School.

Saxton’s mother, Sandy Saxton, taught in the Hubbard school district.

Also at Monday’s session, Katelynn Erme, a Boardman High sophomore, was given an award for her placing at the Candace Gay Memorial Essay contest at the Youngstown English Festival.

In addition, Sarah Land, a Boardman High 11th-grader, took home the Outstanding Young Women in Chemistry Award for her performance in what her teacher told the board remains a male-dominated field.

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