When assigned an important and infrequent task, it’s helpful to study others going about the same process and to adopt their best ideas. A good example of this is developing in Erie County, where the Millcreek Township School District is selecting a new superintendent.

After narrowing the field to three finalists, the Millcreek school board has invited the public to meet the candidates at a forum next week and engage them in a question-and-answer session.

The forum gives the public a role in the selection process and the candidates an opportunity to hear the concerns of taxpayers, parents and teachers. The public’s input is important when they pay the bills and elect the board to formulate an education system for the public’s benefit.

One of the Millcreek finalists, Assistant Superintendent William Hall, called the forum “an excellent opportunity for all of the finalists,” according to a recent report in the Erie Times-News. With an inside track as a district employee, Hall can be counted on to tout the district’s successes and present detailed plans to address ongoing problems.

The other finalists won’t have Hall’s intimate knowledge of the district, but they’re eager to meet the public, too. One of them, a high school principal in a neighboring district, said, “I really want to hear what they have to say and what they want to see happen before I start to formulate a plan” to address the challenges of the district.

For insider and newcomer alike, the forum offers a chance to demonstrate their grasp of perhaps the most prized of CEO attributes: vision. While the insider is likely to extend and expand on the existing vision for the district, a newcomer is more likely to adopt fresh ideas and practices that enhance productivity and efficiency.

Millcreek’s circumstance parallels that of Butler School District a year ago, when Dr. Michael A. Strutt, then the assistant superintendent, was appointed substitute for the ailing superintendent, Ed Fink. Strutt became full-time superintendent in June when Fink retired. In Millcreek’s case, Hall is substituting for a superintendent on medical leave and intending to resign June 30.

The difference is the Butler board appointed Strutt without considering any other candidate or any other opinion but their own.

With Strutt already aboard and already performing Fink’s duties on a fill-in basis, the board had an excellent opportunity in 2012 to conduct a wide-scale search for a long-term replacement for the outgoing school chief.

The opportunity still exists, since Strutt told the board he will not stay in the superintendent’s position beyond the 2014-15 academic year, which approaches rapidly.

Looking at all available talent is not bad. And rejecting an insular attitude to consider outside talent, while time-consuming, can be beneficial in the longer term.

With Strutt planning to step down from the top position in 24 months, now is the time to put in place a foundation for the search for Strutt’s long-term successor. The search should include no boundaries. Using Millcreek’s example as a template, the search also should include engagement with the people of the school district.