The Houston Independent School District Board of Education voted unanimously on Wednesday to end its contract with Ray & Associates, the search firm hired to find a replacement for outgoing Superintendent Terry Grier.

Board President Manuel Rodriguez said the decision to separate was mutual and determined to be in the best interest of both the district and the search firm.

The board followed the decision with a vote to begin talks with HYA & Associates, a national consulting firm based in Illinois. HYA & Associates was one of four companies interviewed by the board in November after responding to a request for proposals the previous month.

Once hired, that firm will be tasked with helping trustees conduct a survey and hold community meetings to gather input on the superintendent candidate profile. The firm will then use that profile to recruit candidates.

Dr. Grier is currently in his seventh year as HISD superintendent. He plans to step down at the end of February.

For more information on the superintendent search process, visit www.houstonisd.org/supesearch.