The School Committee on Wednesday agreed to hire a consulting group to assist in the search for Wareham's next superintendent, and tentatively agreed on the composition of a search committee to interview candidates.

Professional assistance will likely cost more than $10,000, School Committee Chair Geoff Swett said, but members agreed that the committee will need assistance in both attracting acceptable candidates for the job and in screening applications.

"You have to dedicate an awful lot of time and energy to the search process," said School Committee member Cliff Sylvia, who noted that there are at least 12 open superintendent positions across the state right now, and attracting acceptable candidates might be difficult for the School Committee to do on its own. "The more I thought about it, I thought probably no one on this committee has the time," he said, but added that the process "is doable on our own."

Superintendent Dr. Barry Rabinovitch, who has held the post for nearly four years, announced his retirement on Dec. 5, saying that he perceived his annual evaluation, completed earlier this fall, to be an "injustice." His retirement is effective July 31, 2013.

The school district has hired education consulting groups to assist in past superintendent searches, School Committee members said. The groups assist in recruiting applicants, advertising the job, facilitating focus groups, coordinating meetings, and help with other needs determined by the School Committee.

School Committee member Rhonda Veugen, who was later appointed to represent the committee on the superintendent search committee, hoped tapping into consulting groups' resources would be fruitful.

"I'm hoping that what this screening search group can do for us is to have more of a national reach," Veugen said. "I think it's important."

Veugen is charged with reviewing proposals from the Cape Cod Collaborative's Center for Executive Search, the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, and the New England School Development Council and recommending one of the groups to the School Committee at its next meeting.

After much discussion, the School Committee tentatively decided on the make up of a search committee that will review applications and interview candidates for the job. Members stressed that the composition of the committee is not final because the consulting group may have suggestions.

In addition to Veugen, the tentative list of members includes a member of the Board of Selectmen, a member of the Finance Committee, a school administrator, the president of the Wareham Education Association (teachers' union) or his designee, four parents, two students, and two members of the community at large.

Rabinovitch's abrupt retirement announcement came during the School Committee's previous meeting, which was adjourned without any discussion. On Wednesday, Sylvia expressed his gratitude for the superintendent's service, and said he wanted Rabinovitch to leave on a positive note.

"I didn't expect Dr. Rabinovitch to announce his retirement at the last meeting," Sylvia said. "I can honestly say that in my dealings with [Rabinovitch], his main objected was always to put the kids first. ... He was open to ideas. He thought out of the box. ... Unfortunately, he's not going to be at the wheel to see those strategies unfold."