GRANITE QUARRY — On the lawn in front of East Rowan High School Thursday night, a crowd of adults watched color guard students twirl flags to the thumping rhythms of a PA system.

Inside the school library, nine people spent a little more than half an hour telling school board members the qualities they’d like to see in the school system’s next superintendent.

They asked for three qualities again and again: someone with an understanding of redistricting, the ability to stand by tough decisions and make course offerings more equitable throughout the school system.

“The biggest goal ... should be putting redistricting behind us,” said parent Michelle Maher. Her child would have moved to another school under a reassignment plan the school board shot down earlier this year. “We need to get past this and move on.”

“We need someone who is willing to make a decision, regardless of how popular it is, and stick with it,” said Sylvia Moore, a mom in northern Rowan County. “ … We need someone who can bring us all back together.”

Amy Stokes, a teacher and member of the Parent-Teacher Association at Granite Quarry Elementary School, agreed.

“We need someone who has confidence in themselves,” she said, “even if it does upset the apple cart.”

Parents said Advanced Placement classes and other courses should be available to all students in the system, regardless of which school they attend.

“I don’t want my children to have fewer course offerings because there are fewer children there who want to take those courses,” said Moore. She’s also unhappy because newer schools have more athletic facilities while older ones remain with less.

Moore said the next superintendent should respond to an issue when only two or three people complain, rather than waiting until 150 are upset. “It shouldn’t have to make the headlines of the Salisbury Post to make it an issue,” she said.

“When there are programs available and they are not available freely throughout the school system, I am concerned,” Tangy H. Roseborough said.

Mike Jones said he would like students with drug and disciplinary problems to spend more time at school, rather than being sent home, where they often land in more trouble and fall further behind in their studies.

“They’re looking for ways to get out of school,” he said. “That’s the mindset.”

Others said they would like someone who is already a superintendent in another area; no one said the finalist for the job should come from within Rowan County.

The others who commented Thursday night were school board candidate Bill Owen, Robert Smith, Donna Rowland and Missy Thigpen.

Superintendent Dr. Joe McCann retires at the end of the year. The school board hopes to name a replacement by Nov. 1.

School system officials have gotten little feedback about what qualities residents would like to see in a new leader. Just five people spoke at the first public forum last Thursday night in East Spencer.

Only about 20 of the school system’s 2,500 employees have commented at other forums to tell the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education what they’d like to see in a new superintendent.

The last forum for the public is 7 p.m. next Thursday at South Rowan High School.