COAL GROVE — George York — former teacher, principal and superintendent in the South Point Local School District — was voted in Monday night to succeed Dennis DeCamp as the superintendent for Dawson-Bryant Local Schools.

York said he is excited and humbled to be selected to bring his experience to Coal Grove to lead the district. He officially takes the position July 1.

“The schools have excellent teaching staffs and I’m anxious to work with them,” York said. “My work there will focus on continuing the standards of excellence already in place and make the boys and girls there career or college ready.”

York said he also looks forward to working with not only Dawson-Bryant Schools, but also the Coal Grove community. York said his goal is to make the school and community better when he leaves than it was before he was hired.

Jim Beals, Dawson-Bryant Board of Education president, said there were a number of strong candidates, but the board majority thought York would continue leading the district in the right direction.

The board voted 4 to 1 for York. Board members Sadie Mulkey, Jamie Murphy, Debbie Drummond and Deanna Holiday voted in favor of York. Beals was the dissenting vote.

“We are hoping he will bring us all together and we will continue to be as effective as we have been in the past,” Beals said. “We are getting someone with a lot of experience and who knows the people in our district.”

York was superintendent of South Point schools from 1988 to 1990 before going back to the classroom the next year as a seventh-eighth grade teacher for five years. He was named principal of the high school in 2004 and principal of the middle school in 2007. York, who has almost 50 years experience in education, is currently an educational consultant for the Pike-Ross Educational Services District.