EAST PROVIDENCE — Often the subject of discussion in recent weeks and months, the search for a new East Providence School System superintendent picked up pace when the Budget Commission voted at its meeting on Dec. 13 to officially form a search committee.

Commission Chairman Diane Brennan told her counterparts she held talks on the matter with Rosemary Booth Gallogly, the State Director of Revenue and direct supervisor of the state-overseers. Mrs. Gallogly, according to Mrs. Brennan, is on board with the plan and understands the need to rectify the situation.

The search committee will be comprised of the commission and school committee chairs or designees of each, a representative from the Rhode Island Department of Education, the city's Human Resources director (currently Heather Martino) and one active superintendent from a system within the state. Mrs. Brennan said there is someone specifically in mind from RIDE, though she did not state the name publicly.

"We know we need to get this process done, and we look forward to doing that," Mrs. Brennan added.

The need to find a permanent superintendent has actually been on the table for well over a year at this point or since the previous school committee placed then super Mario Cirillo on leave in the summer of 2011.

Long-time administrator Edward Daft took up the interim moniker then and held it until this August when he resigned to take a position as an assistant principal at Barrington High School.

Dr. John DeGoes, who served in the same post some 15 years, was brought on board as the second interim superintendent upon Mr. Daft's departure. Retired, Dr. DeGoes can only maintain the position for a set period of time, per state regulation. His availability ends in late January of 2013.