The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board plans to hire a superintendent in March, to get ahead of the annual spring shuffle among school-district leaders.

The board is trying to move quickly on the quest to replace Peter Gorman, while acknowledging that the November election of three at-large members could require a shift in direction.

"We're racing with time," said CMS Human Resources Chief Daniel Habrat, who said someone experienced in national searches advised him: "If you're going to go after the best of the best, you need to be in front of the pack."

A timeline discussed at a special board meeting Tuesday calls for hiring a search firm this month and conducting public discussions in the fall about what people want in a leader.

After the November election, Tom Tate will be the only board member who was involved in hiring Gorman in 2006. The three at-large members - Kaye McGarry and Joe White, first elected in 2003, and Trent Merchant, appointed in 2006 - aren't running.

Tate said holding public forums during a campaign, with 16 people vying for three seats, could create interesting dynamics: "That would be a great place to go campaigning."

"Give a fool enough rope ...," responded Merchant.

Members say they want to get newly elected colleagues involved in briefings about the search even before they're sworn in Dec. 13, to avoid delaying the search. If District 6 member Tim Morgan wins an at-large seat, the process would be slowed again while the board appoints a replacement for his south suburban seat.

One of the key campaign issues is likely to be whether candidates believe the general path charted by Gorman and the current board should be continued. That path includes a mix of neighborhood and magnet schools, extra aid to high-poverty schools, an emphasis on using data in classrooms and a push toward teacher performance pay that has spawned dozens of tests for students.

Gorman announced his resignation in June. He now works for the new Education Division of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

The current nine-member board is split on many issues, and three new members could change the type of leader being sought.

The plan calls for keeping candidate names confidential as the board winnows the field in December and January, but having finalists meet the public.