The Portland Board of Education plans to name an interim superintendent next week.

A special meeting of the board has been scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday in Room 250 of Casco Bay High School, the school district said in a statement Thursday. The board will meet privately before reconvening in public to vote on the appointment.

Chairwoman Sarah Thompson said the board will select an interim superintendent to replace Emmanuel Caulk, who has been superintendent since 2012 and was hired last weekend to lead the 40,000-student public school system in Lexington, Kentucky. Caulk is expected to leave Maine soon and start his new job by Aug. 12.

Caulk got married this month and has family ties to Kentucky.

In a previous interview, Thompson said the board could choose an interim superintendent from within the school department or seek a candidate – most likely a retired superintendent – through the Maine School Management Association.

“The board will set a timeline for a superintendent search,” Thompson said in a previous statement. “But, there is no need to rush. It is my belief that the best course would be for the board to appoint an interim superintendent for a year, during which time we would launch a national search for a new superintendent. That would give us the time to do a comprehensive search and find the best candidate for the job.”

Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:

dhoey@pressherald.com