Next month, the Rock Hill School District will have a new leader at the helm for the first time in approximately three decades.

The board agreed to a three-year contract Tuesday to hire principal and long-time educator Wes Hairston to take over as superintendent. This hire comes on the heels of several months of searching and the evaluation of more than 20 candidates.

In the coming days and months, many people will weigh in on whether the board made the right decision. Did they? Only time will tell.

The bottom line is that Hairston was this board’s choice and he deserves the opportunity to show what he can do over the next three years.

It is imperative that the community come together behind him and give him the tools he needs to succeed.

Don’t like the decision? Make a change when it comes time to vote for school board members. But give Hairston a chance in the meantime.

Hopefully, some of the infighting and political agendas that have plagued the district in the past will be set aside so that the focus will be on the most important element in this equation: Providing the best possible education for the children in the Rock Hill School District.

It is easy for those standing on the sidelines to say that someone from outside the district should have gotten the job, an argument that does have merit but ultimately did not come to pass.

And on the other side of that coin, you can make a case that Hairston’s deep understanding of the strengths and weaknesses within the district will give him a tremendous advantage and allow him quickly to make changes needed to move the schools forward.

The Rock Hill district has tremendous facilities, many dedicated teachers and administrators and many parents who are passionate about the education their children receive.

That means Hairston has all the tools to succeed. Now he just needs a chance to build his vision for Rock Hill’s future.