NIAGARA FALLS — In what many have viewed as a foregone conclusion since her brother retired, Cynthia Bianco was unanimously appointed Thursday as Niagara Falls Schools superintendent.

The decision came the same night eight staff positions were cut and the district’s head of finances announced he’s taking a job with another district.

From a pool of six applicants — none interviewed — the Niagara Falls School Board approved hiring Bianco, 65, on a three-year contract at $155,000 a year, beginning July 1. Her salary as interim superintendent was $131,000. She succeeds her brother, Carmen Granto.

Despite Bianco’s unanimous appointment, board Vice President Don King criticized his board colleagues for not looking at other candidates, saying it opened the district up to allegations of nepotism and complacency.

“Because of our unique school

leadership family ties,” King told the board, “it would have been in the best interest of the new superintendent to leave no speculation that she could compete.”

King — a board member for more than 30 years who has participated in four superintendent searches — said Bianco is qualified and could have just as easily been selected through a legitimate interview process.

“It’s hurting her, in my estimation, that we didn’t have a process

where she would’ve been able demonstrate all the ability she has,” King told The Buffalo News.

Asked if other board members shared his concerns, King said he is “very much alone” in his opinion. No other board members addressed the search process Thursday.

After advertising the open position in January on two Web sites and in local newspapers, six candidates applied but none was contacted for interviews. Board President Robert Kazeangin said in January that the board was considering hiring an outside consultant to assist in a nationwide search, but that never happened.

On Thursday, Kazeangin defended the board’s search process, saying the other candidates were not nearly as qualified and Bianco, whose experience in Niagara Falls will provide stability in the district.

“I think we have made the right decision for this community, and I can sleep tonight knowing I did that,” Kazeangin said. “I don’t think there could’ve been anyone more dedicated to this district to be superintendent.”

Bianco began her education career at Niagara Falls High School, where she helped create and taught drama and journalism classes in 1963. By 1980, she served as supervisor of instructional services, her first administrative job. Granto appointed her deputy superintendent in 2002.

Granto announced his departure soon after State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli cited the district for wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money. Both Granto and Bianco were cited in the audit for using district-issued credit cards for possible personal expenses without a documented district purpose.

Mark Laurrie, former principal of Niagara Falls High School who has served as Bianco’s interim deputy, must wait to be permanently named to the position until Bianco takes office.

With no discussion, the board eliminated four teaching and four non-instructional positions. Seven other teaching positions were reduced to teaching assistant positions, which offer much lower salaries — about $25,000 a year.

Joseph Giarrizzo — the district’s head of financial services who will leave July 10 for a similar job in the City of Tonawanda — said the money to pay for those eight posts had already been eliminated when $3.5 million was shaved from the district’s budget for 2009-10.

To achieve that $3.5 million reduction, he said, more layoffs are expected in September.

With Giarrizzo’s departure, the district is left with an interim financial administrator at a cost of $600 per day. Business Administrator James Ingrasci abruptly retired last August when the comptroller’s office confronted the district with preliminary findings.