Evanston/Skokie School District 65 announced Wednesday it has scheduled four community forums to solicit public input on its next superintendent.

The meetings are the next step in D65’s quest to replace Hardy Murphy, who stepped down in August after 13 years as superintendent. Last month, the D65 board picked ECRA Group’s Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates to help with its superintendent search.

“Choosing the new superintendent is one of the most important decisions our board will make,” board president Tracy Quattrocki wrote in a letter to the district community Wednesday. “We therefore encourage your input, either in person or online, to help us identify the most critical characteristics needed by our next superintendent to continue our tradition of excellence.”

The forums are slated for 7 p.m. Dec. 2 at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, 1655 Foster St.; 7-8 p.m. Dec. 3 at the Joseph E. Hill Education Center, 1500 McDaniel Ave.; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Dec. 4 at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Literary and Fine Arts School, 2424 Lake St.; and 7-8:30 p.m. Dec. 5 at Chute Middle School, 1400 Oakton St.

D65 is also asking members of the district community to fill out an online survey about the next superintendent, regardless of whether they attend a forum. The survey can be found on the district’s website.

The board expects the next superintendent to start in September 2014. In the meantime, D65 business manager and treasurer Mary Brown is serving as interim superintendent.

— Patrick Svitek