Philadelphia School District superintendent search nears end

The Philadelphia Board of Education's search for a new superintendent is in the home stretch.

Driving the news: The board revealed its three final candidates on Friday to take over for William Hite, who's spent a decade leading the district and will step down at the end of the year.

• Each finalist will visit the district this week and speak with parents, guardians, students, teachers and principals, all of which will be streamed on the district's Facebook page.

State of play: The three individuals being considered to lead the eighth largest school district in the nation include:

• John Davis Jr., chief of schools for Baltimore City Public Schools.
• Krish Mohip, deputy education officer for the Illinois State Board of Education.
• Tony Watlington Sr., superintendent of Rowan-Salisbury Schools in North Carolina.

Details: Davis is scheduled to visit the district today, Mohip on Tuesday and Watlington on Wednesday.

• Each candidate will also take part in a town hall Monday-Wednesday, from 6-7pm each night at the district's headquarters, which will be streamed.

What they're saying: Joyce Wilkerson, the board's president, acknowledged that none of the candidates are from within the district.

• "All these candidates understand they're going to have to make an effort to get to know Philadelphia," she said.

Leticia Egea-Hinton, vice president of school board, said that no candidate will check every box, but she's confident that the three candidates "will be well positioned to fill this role."

What's next: The board aims to make its final decision next week.