LOXLEY, Ala. — Six finalists for the position of Baldwin County Superintendent of Schools were announced at Tuesday night’s Baldwin County Public Schools committee meeting.

Representatives from BWP Consultants, the firm the committee chose to find a replacement for former Superintendent Faron Hollinger, said 34 candidates from 14 states and two foreign countries responded to advertisements for the position. The BCPS has about 27,000 students.

BWP narrowed the field to the following six candidates:

— Samuel DePaul, is the Superintendent of the Stanly County School system in Albemarle, N.C. Enrollment in the system is 9,350 students. DePaul holds a Ph.D from the University of Pittsburgh.

“Eighty percent of the students (in the Stanly County system) achieve above or at national norms on standardized tests,” Harold Dodge told the board. Dodge is a former superintendent of the Mobile County Schools, and now works for BWP.

— Joe Kelley is the Area Assistant Superintendent for the Katy ISD in Katy, Texas. There are about 55,000 students in that system. Kelley has a master’s degree from Texas A&M.

“When a 300-plus million bond failed, Joe was given the job to go out again,’ said George McShan, a BWP representative. McShan said the bond passed the second time, and that Kelley was “focused on quality education.”

— Alan Lee is the superintendent of schools for the Washington County Public Schools in Abington, Va. The system has 7,500 students, and Lee has a Ph.D from Washington State University. He worked in Idaho, and according to Nolan Estes from BWP, Lee had “The number one junior high in the state.”

According to Estes, Lee was nominated for one of two slots Virginia has to a national academy for school superintendents.

— Roy Pugh is the superintendent of the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD in Texas. The system has 16,100 students. He holds a Ed.D degree (doctor of education) degree from the University of Houston.

“He’s known as a financial guru,” said Estes.

— Donald Stinson is the superintendent of a school district in Decatur Township, Indianapolis, Ind. The system has 7,000 students. Stinson has an Ed.S (educational specialist degree) from Indiana University. He was named “Superintendent of the Year” in Indiana in 2005.

— Beth Wright is the superintendent of Florence County School District 3 in Lake City, S.C. The system has 3,800 students. She holds an Ed.S degree from Middle Tennessee State. According to BWP representatives, Wright left an affluent district to lead her current district which has 90 percent of the population defined as living in poverty. The system, however, has been ranked as a “top five” system in South Carolina.

The board will interview candidates in closed session May 10, 11, and 13, with a brief reception for each candidate before the interview sessions. Two finalists will be named at the end of May, and representatives from the School Committee will visit each district. The winner of the selection process will be named June 1.