“I think board members saw positives from each one, and there may have been some things that held them back maybe on one or the other,” board member Lou Ann Goding said.

The board launched its superintendent search after current Superintendent Mark Evans announced in October that he would retire at the end of the school year. Evans became superintendent in 2013.

Consultant McPherson & Jacobson was hired at a base rate of $28,900, plus expenses, which include advertisements and travel. They received half of that fee up front and are scheduled to receive the second half at the end of a successful search.

Jacobson, the CEO and founder of the firm, did not return a call seeking comment Saturday night.

The board received 33 applications from 19 states for the position. The three finalists were announced at the end of February.

Throughout the search, Lacey Merica and Marque Snow, the board’s president and vice president, said it was crucial that board members unite around a single candidate and cast a unanimous vote to hire the district’s next leader.

The board has battled against the perception that they are divided after a marathon meeting in January where board members cast more than 120 votes to elect a new board president.