The Waterloo Board of Education has held closed session meetings over the past month to narrow down the field for a successor to retiring superintendent Jim Helton.

Helton will retire in June, at which time a new superintendent will take over.

School board president Valerie Baxmeyer said the board remains on track for announcing a hire during its regular December board meeting, which will take place at 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 16, at Gardner Elementary.

“This is a job we are not taking lightly and are being as thorough as possible,” Baxmeyer said in a recent email. “We appreciate everyone involved for being patient with us as we go through this process. We want only the best for our district.”