The five candidates vying to be the next superintendent of Selma City Schools have had their say and now it’s time for the school board to make a decision.

Based on the interviews, which all took place this past week, it appears as though the final candidates are all confident they can lead the school system into the future and beyond the problems it faced before the state takeover.

Whoever is chosen has a lot of work to do. That’s not to say that the Selma City School System hasn’t moved forward under the leadership of Acting Superintendent Larry DiChiara and the state takeover team, because it has, but whoever gets the job will be tasked with keeping the system moving in the right direction.

Some in the community are worried the system will revert back to its old ways as soon as the state takeover officially ends and a new superintendent is in place — actions that won’t happen simultaneously — and they have a right to fear that, but the school board can start enhancing the public’s confidence by making the right decision.

Our hope is that the school board takes the time it needs to make a well-researched decision on who will lead the school system into the future.