WOONSOCKET — Last week, the School Committee heard a grievance from the Woonsocket Teachers’ Guild regarding its representation on the search committee for a new superintendent of schools and last night it was expected to make a decision on the grievance. During its closed session, the School Committee was also expected to talk about the new superintendent’s salary and how long the superintendent’s contract will be.

Eleanor Nadeau, co-chair of the Superintendent Search Interviewing Committee, said that the grievance stems from the guild’s desire to have a guild officer serve on the panel. She said the guild president wanted to be involved in the screening process.

“Union leadership always got invited to sit in on everything. They are not doing the initial interviewing of candidates this time. They are not part of the interview process. They don’t have to be. It’s our responsibility. By law, the School Committee hires the superintendent,” said Nadeau, who is the designated spokeswoman for the committee.

Nadeau said there is already union representation on the 22-person committee. She said that the search committee is halfway through its process of choosing a new superintendent. “I can say with a fair amount of confidence we are not adding another person,” she said.

Of the 22 people on the search committee, two are School Committee members and the co-chairs of the committee, nine are administrators, seven are parents and members of the community, one is a librarian, one is a guidance counselor and one is an elementary school teacher.

Mark Kurtzman, grievance vice president for the Teachers’ Guild, would not comment on the grievance, saying it was a private matter heard in executive session.

A total of 18 people from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, South Carolina, Florida and Rhode Island applied for the superintendent’s post, according to Nadeau. A subgroup of the search committee selected six of the top candidates from the 18 applicants. The new superintendent will replace of Schools Supt. Maureen Macera who is retiring next month after 39 years as an educator.

On May 13 and May 15, the six candidates will be interviewed by two groups from the committee. The School Committee will select three or four finalists and, ultimately, they will choose the new superintendent by June, Nadeau said.

tpina@projo.com