Five members of Butler School Board agreed at a special meeting Thursday night to recommend the full board vote on whether to hire a Newport-based consultant to help the district find its next superintendent.

The decision came amid discussion over what the board wants to see in the district’s next top administrator — a conversation that found members in broad agreement over the characteristics they preferred: a strong leader who takes responsibility for the things that happen under their stewardship, and a willingness to make tough decisions despite the possibility that they may prove to be unpopular.

“I don’t want someone who’s going to come in here and play it safe,” said board member Bill Halle, who for much of Thursday’s meeting used former superintendent Dr. Dale Lumley as an example of qualities he wants the district to reject going forward.

Halle said he believes one of the district’s major problems is that it is “closed off” from many parts of the community. He wants the next superintendent to change that state of affairs.

Other board members on Thursday said they agreed, with Leland Clark saying he wants the district’s next top administrator to have more financial expertise and a focus on community engagement.

Jennifer Cummings, board member, said things like curriculum expertise were less important to her than dynamic leadership skills. Cummings said she wants to bring in a superintendent that will empower teachers and staff members.

“I feel like we are at a crossroads in a lot of ways, and we need to change the way we act in this district,” said Cummings. “I need someone who knows how to get a job done and make things happen.”

The superintendent search committee is a committee of the whole, meaning it includes all of the nine-member school board. It is chaired by Neil Convery, who was joined at Thursday night’s meeting by Clark, Halle, Cummings and Alvin Vavro.

Halle on Thursday reiterated that he doesn’t believe the district should hire a consultant, and said that while he also favored the committee’s preferred choice — Templeton Advantage — he planned to vote against hiring the firm.

Other board members, including Convery, said they believe bringing in a consultant is necessary if the district is to look outside Pennsylvania for its next superintendent. That’s a prospect that worries board members like Clark, but seems like a positive step to Cummings, who said she worried that prematurely narrowing the search could leave the district with a pool of candidates board members aren’t thrilled with.

On Monday board members will likely vote on whether to make Templeton the firm that will help them conduct a nationwide superintendent search. Board members present on Thursday agreed to recommend the full board vote to hire the firm on Monday, and said that they will investigate its references as well as those of one other consulting firm.

Earlier this month board members received a collection of proposals from acting Superintendent William Pettigrew. Those proposals ranged in cost from $6,500 to $26,000 — the maximum cost of Ray and Associates, an Iowa-based firm that specializes in executive leadership searches.