Prov. School Board votes to begin contract negotiations with Chris Maher

The Providence School Board voted Monday night to begin contract negotiations with the man who has been serving as interim superintendent for almost nine months.

Chris Maher took over in the temporary role in June.

The board has spent months searching for a new candidate. They received 22 applications and had narrowed the applicants down to five people who they voted on Monday night.

The vote for Maher was unanimous 7-0.

"I’m ecstatic. This is the job that I wanted. I told everyone that I would do the job the way I thought that it should be done and so I’m very confident that I’m in alignment with the board and the mayor and we’re going to move the school district in the right direction,” said Maher.

The board will now enter into contract negotiations with Maher, once agreed upon the matter will be referred to the Providence City Council for final adoption.

(C) WLNE 2016