The state Board of Education began accepting applications yesterday for the schools superintendent position, and hopes to hire someone by mid-October.

Applications are due by Aug. 9. The job pays up to $150,000.

Meanwhile, the board is asking the public to complete an online survey on what attributes and priorities the superintendent should have.

Kathryn Matayoshi has been serving as interim superintendent since January, after longtime Superintendent Pat Hamamoto resigned on New Year’s Eve.

Matayoshi is expected to apply for the permanent position.

Whoever steps into the job will take on a system struggling with budget cuts, preparing to meet new federal directives and still recovering from shaken public confidence generated by teacher furloughs.

The Hawaii Department of Education is the nation’s 10th-largest public school system, with a $1.7 billion operating budget, 289 schools, about 178,000 students and 11,500 teachers.

"The new superintendent will be leading our school system through a challenging yet exciting period as we continue to feel the impacts of budget cuts and prepare to implement promising reforms such as common core standards," school board Chairman Garrett Toguchi said in a news release.

The board has said it will use input gathered from the online survey and focus groups to help in the hiring process. It will also advertise in local and national publications.

Board members expect to conduct interviews with potential candidates in September and hire someone the following month.