A familiar face will take a new place at the head of the table at Ironton Board of Education meetings.

By a 4-1 vote, the school board last night decided to hire Ironton High School Principal Dean Nance as the new superintendent to replace outgoing superintendent Stephen Kingery, who resigned in February. Nance received a two-year contract.

Board president Teresa Parker said Nance was one nine candidates who submitted resumes for consideration, and one of three candidates interviewed for the position. She declined to name the other two candidates.

"They were all three stellar candidates, all very well qualified for the position," Parker said. "The board deliberated numerous hours; we could not have gone wrong (with any of them)." Parker said Nance's work at the high school and as chairman of the system's five-year strategic planning committee worked in his favor.

"I'm proud of the opportunity to work with such a good school system," Nance said after the meeting. "I hope to continue the strides made in the recent past. I want to make the Ironton City School system into the best it can be."

Nance, 36, said his immediate focus will be on learning more about the system's finances and working to bring the district into line with the "No Child Left Behind" act.

Nance is a 1984 graduate of Green Township High School. He received his master's degree in

education administration from Ohio University in 1989. He worked in school systems in Columbus and Bellville, at the Ohio Youth Center in Franklin Furnace and at Green High School before coming to Ironton High School two years ago.

The lone vote against Nance's hiring came from board member Kathy McGinnis. McGinnis said her no vote was not a vote against Nance, but a vote in favor of another candidate that she believed was more qualified and more experienced.

"I intend to support Mr. Nance, and work with him. I hope he brings to the superintendent's positions that same enthusiasm he has shown as a high school principal," McGinnis said.

"But I had to vote my conscience. We had another candidate who had experience with curriculum development, grant writing and finance; she had experience on every teaching level, and she has state contacts. We need those state contacts. This candidate also had a lot of experience in dealing with federal programs.

"Again, my vote had nothing to do with Mr. Nance. I wasn't against him; I simply favored another candidate."

Parker said the move to hire a new principal for the high school should begin within a month.