The Hoquiam School Board has narrowed its search for a new school superintendent from 14 to four. The list includes Shannon Webster, the district’s current assistant superintendent.

The list was released Friday morning. The candidates will meet with district staff members and the community at interviews next week, and the board is expected to announce a new superintendent by March 20.

The candidates are:

• Kurt Hilyard, currently the superintendent at Union Gap. Previously he was superintendent in Conrad, Mont.

• Rich McFarland, currently assistant superintendent at the Central School District in Independence, Ore., a position he has held for 10 years. Prior to that he was a principal in the Warden School District.

• Mike Villarreal, Director of Federal and State Programs and past assistant superintendent for the Othello School District. He previously held central office position in the district for 10 years, and prior to that was a principal in the Warden School District.

• Webster, who has been assistant superintendent in the Hoquiam School District since 2007. She began her teaching career in Hoquiam and has held central office administrative positions within the district.

The school board met Friday morning to release the names. Roger Rada, a consultant hired to help the board find the best candidates available, said the interviews would feature two candidates each day Wednesday and Thursday.

“We really encourage all of you here to spread the word about these meetings,” said board Chairman Chris Eide. “This is the most important decision we will face in our district.”

One of the candidates, Villarreal, is also a finalist for the Aberdeen superintendent job. If he is selected by Aberdeen, the Hoquiam board members said they will stick with the three remaining candidates “as a matter of timing” to select their next superintendent.