The Alabama school board could soon name a new state education leader.

The Tuscalooosa News reports (http://bit.ly/nuMoNN ) that interviews with four finalists for the state K-12 superintendent's job are set for Nov. 9 in Montgomery. The board is expected to vote on a person to replace retired Superintendent Joe Morton soon after that.

Morton retired Aug. 31. The department's general counsel, Larry Craven, is serving as interim superintendent.

The state received 11 applications after a nationwide search for Morton's replacement. The school board chose the four finalists two weeks ago.

The finalists include two current employees of the Alabama Department of Education, as well as Mark Bounds, the South Carolina deputy superintendent for school effectiveness, and Byron Garrett, a Maryland-based school consultant and former CEO of the National PTA.

Information from: The Tuscaloosa News, http://www.tuscaloosanews.com