(KNZA)--The Troy school district has hired a new superintendent.

During a special meeting Friday morning, the USD 429 Board of Education unanimously approved a two-year contract with Pat McKernan to serve as the district’s new superintendent and elementary school principal.

McKernan will begin his new job July 1st. He will replace Brian Harris who is retiring at the end of the current school year.

McKernan has served as principal at Nemaha Central High School in Seneca since 2001. Prior to that he served as principal at Oskaloosa High School and K-12 principal at Elwood.

Before becoming a school administrator in 1994, McKernan was a teacher in the Platte County R-III school district.

He and his wife, Renee, have four children. Renee is currently an elementary school teacher in the Nemaha Central school district.

USD 429 Board President Warren Grable says McKernan emerged from a very thorough search process as the right candidate to lead the district.  He was among two finalists selected from a broader pool of applicants for interviews by the Board.