EASLEY — The search has been ongoing for several months, but Pickens County residents now know who their new public education leader will be.

The school board voted Thursday evening to name Dr. Henry Hunt the new superintendent of education.

The vote was 7-0-1, with Dr. Herb Cooper, the Clemson representative on the board abstaining.

“It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m excited,” Hunt told The Sentinel. “I’m honored that the board has seen fit to offer me the position.

“I’ve worked 38 years with the school district and it’s been exceedingly good to me,” he said. “This is an opportunity for me to give back to the district.”

Hunt currently serves as ombudsman for the school district, however, he started his career in education here in 1971.

His promotion will be contingent on successfully negotiating a contract, according to School Board Chairman Jim Shelton.

Alex Saitta, the Pickens representative, said the choice was easy for him.

Hunt has first hand knowledge of the various things going on the district, and he’s well respected within the system, he said.

“He will be open with the community, and that’s something that’s much needed,” Saitta said.

Hunt had previously said he didn’t want to be considered for the position, vacated when Dr. Lee D’Andrea asked to be released from her contract to take a similar job in Anderson District 4.

But he said after giving it a lot of thought and listening to a lot of people, he decided to go for it.

He also prayed about it a lot, he said.

As superintendent, Hunt said his three top priorities will be helping students improve their achievements, helping teachers by providing them the things they need to meet goal number one, and successfully completing the school district’s $365 million building project.

He said since Thursday night’s vote, he’s gotten a lot of calls and notes of congratulations, but he said he is counting on the support of everyone else in the district to help continue its success.

“We have difficult tasks ahead, but I’m confident in the staff at the schools and the district,” he said.

The board chose Hunt over Dr. Wayne Brazell, superintendent of Laurens 56, and Beth Wright, superintendent of Laurens County District Three.

At –large board member Shirley Jones said a lot of good ideas came from all the candidates vying for the job and that the board looks forward to sharing and implementing some of those ideas.

Both Liberty representative Oscar Thorsland and Shelton thanked Paul Krohne of the S.C. School Boards association for helping make the superintendent search process a smooth one.

Dr. B. J. Skelton also noted that making this type of decision is a “difficult and exhausting process.”

“It’s incumbent upon all of us to do all we possibly can to move our education system forward,” he said.

Mathematician turned teacher

Dr. Henry Hunt didn’t set out to be a teacher or school administrator.

He just “fell into it,” he said.

He had earned a degree in math and planned to go to graduate school when he served active duty in the U.S. Army.

But between leaving the Army and time to start back to school at Clemson, he got a chance to teach math temporarily at Dacusville High School.

During that time, he said he discovered that he like teaching children math.

So when an opportunity came to continue teaching, he took it, going to Clemson to take the required courses for certification.

That was in 1971.

He went on to teach at Dacusville Junior High School, Dacusville Elementary and A.R. Lewis Elementary, where he eventually became assistant principal and then principal in 1977.

Hunt was also principal at Crosswell and West End elementaries before he became assistant superintendent for administration in 2000 and ombudsman in 2008.

He and his wife of 34 years, Songia Hunt, have one grown daughter, Leah Gannon, who is the media specialist at East End Elementary.

The long-time mathematician turned educator said he’s had an enjoyable and fulfilling career.