More than two dozen people have applied for the job of becoming the Wake County school system’s next superintendent.

The application deadline for superintendent candidates ended at midnight Monday with 28 applicants from 13 different states and territories, according to a news release from the district. The board is looking for a successor to Superintendent Catty Moore, who is retiring at the end of June.

“The applications will be processed by the North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA) and released to the board,” the district said in the release. “The board looks forward to reviewing the applications and moving into the interview stage of the superintendent search process in May.”

At the advice of the NCSBA, Wake is not publicly identifying the applicants. The NCSBA told Wake it would get a better field if candidates knew they’d remain confidential until they were hired.

An exception was in 2013, when the three finalists were announced and met with the community before Jim Merrill was hired as superintendent.

The board is holding a special meeting on Friday to review feedback from staff and community surveys and public meetings about what people want in the new superintendent. The N.C. School Boards Association will use the responses to develop a leadership profile.

Search timeline

Under the board’s timeline:

▪ May 1-7: Board meets in closed session to choose first-round interviewees and to determine interview questions.

▪ June 1-5: Board meets in closed session to hold initial interviews, select finalists and determine questions for finalists.

▪ June 23-26: Board meets in closed session to hold final interviews and decide on offer terms.

▪ June 27–July 1: Board meets in closed session to finalize the candidate’s contract.

▪ To be determined: The new superintendent is announced.

The Wake job is a high-profile position. Wake is the largest district in North Carolina and the 15th largest nationally, with 159,000 students and 11,000 teachers.