Even before Richard D’Agostino announced earlier this week he will retire on July 13 after serving Warwick schools for 33 years, speculation swirled over who would be the next superintendent of schools. D’Agostino was thought to have the inside track.

It made sense. D’Agostino, “Doctor D as he became known as principal of Oakland Beach School, has filled the post since the former superintendent was forced out without explanation in October 2013.

In addition, D’Agostino has been closely involved with how the district should respond to a declining enrollment and is a proponent of consolidation of secondary schools, which needs to be addressed. And when the School Committee rejected the only other local candidate for the post – William McCaffrey the director of the Warwick Area Career and Technical Center – it was surmised a majority of the committee had made its pick.

While School Committee Chair Jennifer Ahearn has not confirmed it, rumors are that Anthony Pope, former superintendent of Marlborough Schools, was the only other candidate.

Pope has a checkered career according to numerous stories that can be found on the Internet. According to those reports, Pope was accused of unprofessional behavior, unjust termination of staff, provoking conflict between students and dishonestly and insubordination with the school committee. Reports on Pope also include laudatory comments from Marlborough school committee members, citing his rebuilding of curriculum, a man of vision and of ability to design a road map to get students to reach their true capabilities. Yet, and go figure this, Marlborough bought him out of his contract.

We have attempted to talk directly with Pope to no avail. At this point no one has publicly acknowledged he is a candidate, or have we been able to obtain contact information. We have talked with a news outlet that covered Pope, and there is no question, while he may have sparked healthy discussion about the system, it was steeped in controversy.

What is troubling is that so much concerning the selection of a superintendent has been carried out behind closed doors. Not only do we not know for sure who the candidates are but also by what criteria the committee plans to make a selection. Will the public’s questions and point of view, which the committee solicited in an online survey, have a role in the process?

We concur with the mayor and committee member Karen Bachus’ recommendation that the committee recommence its search for a superintendent. It would give the community a “breather,” and with the right interim superintendent an opportunity to move toward some of the changes that need to happen. But to choose from only one candidate, and at that a candidate that has a history of divisiveness, is courting disaster.