BATON ROUGE — Former East Baton Rouge schools leader Sito Narcisse jumped off the merry-go-round that is the district's superintendent selection process Wednesday and said he didn't want the school board to consider rehiring him. 

Narcisse was among 11 people who applied to be the next superintendent of Louisiana's second-largest school system. He was its last permanent leader but left six months ago after the board voted not to renew his contract.

Ten people remain in the running, and the board scheduled interviews to begin at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

In a brief statement, Narcisse said it was better if he didn't pursue the job, given the tumultuous effort to replace him. Many teachers and members wanted interim Superintendent Adam Smith to replace him, but Smith withdrew from contention, too.

"In order to unite the city and get back to the work of focusing on kids, it is better for me to withdraw and for us to rally around the board and staff to choose the Superintendent," Narcisse said in an email. "I look forward to seeing our city and children succeeding."

School district spokesman Perry Robinson said just before the interviews began that Narcisse was out.

East Baton Rouge Parish school leaders began Wednesday hoping the day would include their final sprint in the effort to name a new superintendent after a months-long marathon failed to produce any results.

The district's school board scheduled a 4 p.m. meeting to vet a second set of candidates after the panel failed to offer the job to any of the 17 potential superintendents on a previous list. Three previous finalists backed out — two amid the board's unsuccessful machinations.

The new list had 11 candidates, including four from the previous round. Smith was not on the list, but Narcisse was until his late withdrawal. Smith's second temporary stint ended Tuesday, a week after four school board members issued a letter criticizing his tenure.

The board voted Tuesday to reopen the application period and hoped to name a new leader within hours of receiving a new list of would-be leaders.

Metro Councilman Lamont Cole is in the running, too. Four people from the previous set of applicants are in the pool again.

The entire list of candidates to qualify ahead of the noon deadline on Wednesday includes:

- Fabby Williams
- Corwin Robinson
- James Finney
- Verna Ruffin
- Sito Narcisse
- Donald Green
- James Kador
- Lamont Cole
- Rochelle Washington-Scott
- Sean Thorpe
- Robin Harris

The board said it intends to pick a new leader Wednesday night. Its leaders met with state School Superintendent Cade Brumley on Monday. Brumley, without offering specifics, said he would take action Thursday if the board didn't find a new leader.

Members of the public who backed Smith interrupted board proceedings this month after he failed to make a list of finalists. He has not spoken publicly about the ordeal. 

Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome and seven of Cole's 11 colleagues on the Metro Council endorsed his candidacy for the superintendent's position.

Williams, Robinson, Finney and Ruffin were among 17 candidates who submitted a previous application for the position, though none were among the board set of five semifinalists selected June 18. Smith was, but he did not make it to the finalists' round and now is completely out of the running.

Finalist Krish Mohip, a longtime Chicago educator who turned around the Youngstown, Ohio, school district, withdrew on July 6.

LSU Lab School Director Kevin George withdrew next, days after School Board President Carla Powell-Lewis suggested that he "run the hell away from here" during a tumultuous meeting. 

Andrea Zayas, the former chief academic officer of the Boston schools, withdrew after failing to pick up any votes from board members. As she exited, she said that the possibility of success was "near non-existent."