It could turn out that Dale Lumley is the best candidate to be the next superintendent at the Butler School District, but the board should extend its self-imposed deadline and re-advertise the position, with help from a search firm or consultant.

The first and only time the position was advertised, just five candidates applied to replace retiring superintendent Michael Strutt. At that time, the position should have been re-advertised to increase the pool of candidates for the job of leading the school district.

It’s hard to imagine another organization with a $94 million budget considering just five candidates for the top job.

Butler’s search didn’t begin until early this year and the board said it wanted a candidate in place by mid-March so the new superintendent could be involved in hiring a new business manager and assistant superintendent, the two other top positions that will be vacated June 30.

Involving the new superintendent in hiring key people he or she will be working closely with would be best, but it’s not necessary. It’s more important to make certain the district has attracted the best pool of candidates from which to choose. And while Lumley might still turn out to be the best choice, even after looking at 20 candidates, the board, taxpayers and parents would have more confidence knowing more than five people were considered for the job.

Other districts replacing a superintendent have used a search firm or a consultant. Butler should do the same. It’s not something that is done often, so specialized help is warranted.

Search firms specializing in public school administrators might conduct a nationwide or at least a regional search. Butler officials reportedly only advertised in Southwestern Pennsylvania, turned off by the high cost of ads in Erie and Philadelphia newspapers.

It’s true that a search firm or consultant will charge a fee running into the thousands of dollars, but if that fee means a better chance of finding the best candidate, it’s worth the cost.

A statewide or regional search might make the most sense, but it’s also possible that there is someone with local roots, a Butler High graduate even, who is a school administrator in another state and might like to return to Butler because of aging parents or other reasons.

The timing of the June 30 retirements of not only superintendent Strutt, but also the district’s assistant superintendent and business manager puts extra pressure on Butler’s board. Still, it’s worth taking a step back and considering a consultant or search firm to expand the list of candidates. The original timeline or target was motivated by good intentions, but it is secondary to conducting the selection process correctly.

Other school districts have taken five or six months to find a new superintendent. Despite its logical reasoning and good intentions, Butler locked itself into too short a time frame, allowing barely two months to advertise, interview and make a final pick.

While it seems late for Butler to hire a consultant and re-advertise, the importance of hiring the best candidate cannot be overstated. Butler, like most districts, faces tough challenges including tight budgets, rapidly increasing pension fund payments, possibly closing or consolidating school buildings and upcoming contract negotiations. The new superintendent could be with the district a decade or two, so conducting the most thorough search now is important — even if it does not fit the original timetable.

Hiring a consultant and doing another search to bring in more candidates is the best option. And since Butler, like most districts, does searches rarely it could use help.

Butler’s search for this top job was too limited in scope and too compressed in time — not the best recipe for success.