FRANKLIN—The city schools are unlikely to have a new superintendent until March.

School board Chairman Bill Scarboro said Friday that board members continue to evaluate candidates and have not made a decision.

“We are still working, but I doubt we’ll have a decision before the first of March,” he said.

School board members had previously said they hoped to make a decision by the first of the year.

Scarboro said the loss of board member David Benton last month after the state attorney general ruled that the Franklin City Council’s appointment of Benton last spring was not valid has not delayed the search process.

Scarboro did have some advice for City Council members as they decide who will fill the at-large seat on the school board.

“I think the new board member needs to be someone who has a very personal interest in the success of our children,” Scarboro said. “They need to be someone willing to work hard and dig into the issues by talking to citizens and visiting schools.

“It takes an awful lot of time to serve on the school board, so the candidates need to be willing to be fully committed to making our kids successful.”

The school board is seeking a successor to Superintendent William Pruett, who retired last summer. The board named Bev Rabil as acting superintendent late last year.