If the members of the Auburn Enlarged City School District go ahead with an internal promotion to replace superintendent John Plume without a formal search, they will be doing the district a great disservice.

Since Plume announced in March that he would be leaving shortly after the end of the school year, the school board has met three times in executive session to talk about a replacement.

Board president Michael Sterns said Tuesday that no decision has been made, but he seemed cool to the thought of poring over the many responses that would surely come in if the job were advertised, saying he believed there were qualified candidates already working in the district. The impending vacancy for the top job in the Auburn public school system demands a thorough search.

The city school district has problems. Failure to meet English and math standards has put the high school in the unenviable position of making the list of schools “requiring academic progress,” under accountability guidelines of the No Child Left Behind Act.

School violence continues to be a community concern; minority students have expressed concern that some of their needs aren't being met; and the district's excessive dropout rate needs to be addressed.

A fresh perspective from outside the area may just be what's needed to turn things around.

There may very well be qualified candidates already working in the district, but no one will ever know if a more qualified person could have been found if they fail to cast a wider net.

If an internal candidate emerges as the best choice after a formal search, that person will have all the more credibility.

The point of a search is to find the best person for the job.

If the Auburn school board makes a quick decision to promote someone from within, the taxpayers, parents and students in the district will have every right to feel as though the board let them down.