Parents and teachers packed themselves into the community room at the Edgartown School on Wednesday night to hear which of the three finalist candidates for the principal position the superintendent and school committee had chosen - but then learned that none of the three had been chosen.

At the meeting of the Edgartown School Committee, superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss told the audience that he was looking for someone experienced in school leadership, knowledgeable on education theory and practice, articulate, committed to the Island and possessing a vision for the school's future.

"I decided that I really wanted to find the best match for Edgartown, and while the three candidates were good candidates, they didn't meet that level," Mr. Weiss said yesterday. "We're going to continue with the people who are running the school now and continue with our search."

The finalists for the position were Elana Aitken, clinical director of the Hampshire Educational Collaborative in Northampton; Carlin Hart, assistant principal of the Oak Bluffs School; and Lisa M. Sheffield, an educational consultant based in Newton.

Mr. Weiss told the Gazette that he plans to advertise the position differently the second time around.

"We're going to make much more clear the requirements we have for experience in a leadership role in the school," he said.

Mr. Weiss and the school committee no longer have a firm deadline for having a new principal in the school. Until an new principal is hired, assistant principal Anne Fligor is acting principal of the school. Retired guidance counsellor Michael Joyce Jr. is acting assistant principal and school librarian Donna Lowell-Bettencourt is acting coordinator for curriculum and instruction. The team took over in January from Dr. G. Paul Dulac, who resigned in November.

"We're going to take the time we need to do it correctly," Mr. Weiss said. "I think [the interim leadership team] is doing an excellent job. The entire faculty has come together to keep them moving forward."