GEORGETOWN — The Georgetown-Ridge Farm School Board selected a new principal for Pine Crest Elementary School Monday night and found that the best candidate for the job was already serving as an administrator within the district.

Board members chose Kerry Smith, current assistant principal at Mary Miller Junior High, to replace retiring Pine Crest Principal Cindy Gilliland.

Smith, 44, has been with the district since his start in education in 1991 as a school social worker. He became vice principal at Mary Miller Junior High in 2007. During his time in the district he has also been active in the Georgetown-Ridge Farm Education Association, at times serving as vice president and also chief negotiator during bargaining of the last contract.

“I’m excited to be getting back to a younger group of students who are at the beginning of their learning,” said Smith. “I’m looking forward to getting them off to a good start.”

Smith said he immediately has started working with Gilliland, learning the routines and procedures at the school. He said he doesn’t anticipate making any major changes at the school at this point, but just wants to raise community awareness about what a good school Pine Crest is.

Superintendent Kevin Tate said five candidates applied for the position, a mixture of both in-district and out-of-district applicants. The board and incoming Superintendent Greg Irwin interviewed four of those applicants. Tate is set to retire at the end of June.

Irwin said Smith’s wide variety of experience, in social work and administration, and already being familiar with the majority of the staff at Pine Crest made him a good fit for the position.

Smith obtained his bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Harding University of Searcy, Ark., in 1985. He received his master’s degree in social work from the University of Illinois in 1991. He continued to advance his education by obtaining his administrative certificate from Eastern Illinois University in 2004.

“He expressed a true understanding of how important it is to get kids off to a good start,” said Irwin, citing reading, math and social skills. “He just seemed like a well-rounded candidate and a team-player. I’m really looking forward to working with him.”

The selection of Smith will leave a vacancy for second in command at the junior high which Irwin said he felt confident could be filled before the start of the school year.

“Completing your staff, especially your administrative staff is always important, but in spite of wanting to get somebody quickly, you want to get the right person,” said Irwin.

The vice principal spot at Mary Miller Junikor High School appears to be a grooming position for many future principals. Smith replaced Brenda Yoho when she left the position to accept the Southwest Elementary School principal position in Danville District 118. She is now the principal at South View Middle School there.

Before Yoho, Gilliland held the junior high vice principal spot before taking the principal position at Pine Crest. Before Gilliland, Lisa Gocken held the position, only to leave it to become the principal of the junior high, a role she continues to hold.

“That’s one reason we like to have assistant principals,” said Tate. “So they can get experience as administrators and get a chance to move on from there.”

Both Smith and Irwin said they are anticipating a smooth transition for the building.

“I hope to take a little bit of what I’ve learned as a social worker and as a vice-principal and combine those skills and bring them to Pine Crest,” said Smith.