The three finalists to be the next Charlotte-Mecklenburg superintendent met with the public on Wednesday.

Current CMS Chief Academic Officer Ann Clark found herself in familiar territory. Where she faced a panel of questioners is the same place she'd attended countless meetings during her 29 years with CMS.

She said that experience, and the relationships that come with it, make her the best candidate to be superintendent.

"I believe this district and this community has invested in me," Clark said, "and I'm the return on investment opportunity as the next superintendent."

But of the three finalists, Clark is the only one never to hold the title of superintendent.

Current Memphis superintendent Kriner Cash runs a district similar to the size and budget of CMS.         He comes with a reputation of reforming districts.

"Here I haven't made any decisions or prejudgments about what should be reformed," Cash said. "That's why I'm listening to all the constituents, and I'll be listening for the first 90-120 days."

Heath Morrison also leads a district, but the school system in Reno, Nev., is less than half the size of CMS. But he said dealing with massive budgets in his district has prepared him for the CMS job

"While we've had to work with some painful budget reductions, we've been able to improve quality of schools and the education," he said.

The Board of Education hopes to makes a decision by early May.