The Ventura County Board of Education met for two hours Tuesday night discussing how to replace Superintendent Charles Weis, but made little progress.

Weis will leave in June for a job as Santa Clara County schools superintendent, and the Ventura County board likely will appoint someone to serve out his term, which ends in 2010.

Trustees called a special meeting for Tuesday to consider hiring a search firm to help with the appointment and three firms submitted proposals. The board, however, decided to review more options before making a decision.

Trustee Marty Bates said he was disappointed that none of the firms had much experience searching for a county superintendent to fill an elected office. He also was one of several trustees put off by a California School Boards Association proposal for "a completely open and transparent" search process.

CSBA executive search services had previously outlined its "typical" search process for a superintendent, which included a confidential selection process.

Since then, however, the CSBA said questions had been raised regarding confidentiality and the organization had changed its proposal.

In the new outline, the board would not meet in private to discuss the appointment and candidates would be informed that their names and applications would be subject to public review.

The CSBA declined to elaborate on its reasons behind the change.

But Weis has told trustees that state law requires the entire appointment process to be done in public. Unlike superintendents of local school districts, he said, the county job is an elected position that should be filled in full public view.

The board came under scrutiny late last month when Weis said he suspected trustees might try to hold an illegal, closed-door meeting to discuss the replacement process.

Trustees disputed that claim and said they would not violate open-meeting laws.

But several have said they are concerned about outing applicants during the screening process.

Trustee Dean Kunicki said Tuesday that he didn't want to lose candidates that might not want their names made public when they apply. It could potentially jeopardize their current positions, he said, and limit the applicant pool.

Trustee Mary Louise Peterson, however, has pushed for a completely transparent process, saying the only reason she would hire a search firm is to make sure that happens.

The board is scheduled to meet to discuss the issue again at 6 p.m. May 21 at the Ventura County Office of Education conference center, 5100 Adolfo Road in Camarillo.

Chris Meagher, president of the county office's teachers union, has asked the board to forego an outside search, saying there are qualified candidates within the organization. Appointing a current staff member would save money that could be used to benefit students, he said, and anyone else interested in the position would have an opportunity to run for the office in two years.

On Tuesday, Peterson asked the board to consider appointing from within the county office before expanding the search, but other trustees declined to support that motion.

"I do not object to appointing someone from within," Bates said Tuesday, but he does want to allow others to submit applications, as well.