The Rochester Board of Education has narrowed the candidates for superintendent down to two, says board Vice President Malik Evans.

There has been some speculation whether interim superintendent Bill Cala would stay with the school district. So far, both Cala and board members have said he is not a candidate.

But at least one board member would like that to change.

"I think he has done an excellent job in just the short amount of time he has been here with us," says board member Cynthia Elliott. "I would really like to talk to my colleagues about this to make sure that we are making the right decision here."

Evans would not disclose the candidates' names or offer much information about their backgrounds for fear of jeopardizing the candidates' current jobs.

"They both have superintendent experience and are familiar with large urban school districts," Evans says.

There are no plans for the candidates to make a public appearance, allowing parents to ask questions about their experience.

Evans says the board plans to make an offer within the next two weeks.

The new superintendent would replace Superintendent Manuel Rivera, who left the district in April to work as Governor Eliot Spitzer's Deputy Secretary of Education.