Tom Boasberg, the chief operating officer for Denver Public Schools, was named the sole finalist for the position of superintendent by the school board Thursday night.

Boasberg, 44, has been with the district since 2007, when he left the Broomfield-based Level 3 Communications where he was a senior executive for eight years.

He will replace outgoing superintendent Michael Bennet, who was appointed last week to the U.S. Senate by Gov. Bill Ritter.

Much like Bennet, Boasberg is a lawyer who grew up in Washington, D.C. and attended the prestigious private school, St. Albans School.

Boasberg at DPS has worked alongside Bennet to fix the district's financial woes, leading the district to a balanced budget without major cuts for the first time in a half-decade. And under Boasberg, the district saw Denver voters in November pass the largest bond election, $454 million, in the state's history.

Boasberg also headed up negotiations with the teachers' union over contract issues and worked a deal to restructure the district's pension debt.

He lives with his family in Denver.