Search progresses for schools superintendent

San Francisco's outgoing superintendent, one of the top five contenders to become Boston's next schools chief, said yesterday she has bowed out of the competition, while another candidate, a South Carolina school administrator, agreed to be a finalist.

Of the remaining candidates, one, a top administrator in San Francisco, expressed interest but said she was waiting for Boston to contact her before speaking further. Another, the Rochester City School District superintendent, denied that he was a candidate but appeared reluctant to close the door on the position. A fifth candidate, the former Milton schools superintendent, did not return telephone calls.

The Boston School Committee is in the final stages of searching for a replacement for outgoing Superintendent Thomas W. Payzant, who retires Friday after leading Boston schools for 11 years.

The five contenders, which the city's superintendent search committee chose in a closed-door meeting Monday, will not be considered finalists until they agree to pursue the job. Then, each would be asked to meet various community groups over two-day visits. The School Committee makes the final decision.

Yesterday, after finding out the contenders' names for the first time in a Boston Globe article, Mayor Thomas M. Menino and community members said they were pleased with the group's diversity and depth of educational experience. Menino said his biggest concern was that many of them might decide to pull out because of the publicity.

By early yesterday evening, only Arlene Ackerman , whose term as San Francisco schools superintendent ends Friday, had directly said she would not participate in the search.

Ackerman , 59, said she met with the search committee Monday and said then she could not pursue the job because she needed a break after nearly 10 years as a superintendent and had committed to teaching at Teachers College at Columbia University in the fall.

``Under any other circumstances at a different time in my life, this would be just what I was waiting for," Ackerman said. ``I'm heartbroken that I have to say no."

The other candidates picked Monday are: Deborah A. Sims , the chief of K-12 operations in San Francisco; Manuel J. Rivera , superintendent of Rochester, N.Y., schools; Mary Grassa O'Neill , Milton's former superintendent who now trains principals at Harvard; and Nancy J. McGinley, academic chief in Charleston County schools in South Carolina.

Ackerman praised the pool of candidates, but she said she was partial to Sims, her deputy in San Francisco. Sims worked with Ackerman to improve failing schools by lengthening the school day and holding school on Saturdays.

``She's one of my stars," Ackerman said.

Sims, 53, said yesterday she was honored to be considered and would wait to hear from the search committee before commenting further.

McGinley, 51, who like Sims has never led a school system, said yesterday she has accepted the offer to be a finalist.

``Boston presents an incredible opportunity to take urban education where it has never been before, with kids from all walks of life achieving at high levels," she said. ``There may not be a better opportunity in America than following on all the work Tom Payzant has done."

McGinley said she has studied the district's challenges: lowering the dropout rate, closing the achievement gap, and moving children from basic to proficient. ``I've prepared my whole life to be an urban superintendent," she said.

Rivera, the 2006 national superintendent of the year, yesterday told newspapers, TV, and radio stations in Rochester that he expects to remain in the western New York state city in September.

``I have no intention on getting back to the search committee with anything," he said.

When asked whether he would say no if the search committee called him, Rivera replied: ``That's all I'm saying. I'm not answering any more questions."

After seeing the names, many community members yesterday said all of the candidates seemed strong.

Jacqueline Rivers , executive director of MathPower, which trains math teachers, said she was impressed by Rivera and accounts of how he boosted student achievement while leading an urban school system similar to Boston.

``The match really seems best with Manny Rivera," Rivers said.

Maria Sacchetti and Marcella Bombardieri of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Tracy Jan can be reached at tjan@globe.com.