Buck's hiring was approved Monday night by the school board. His title will be assistant superintendent in charge of curriculum. He will officially start his new duties on July 1. Buck has been the principal at Warrenton for three years. He replaces Elaine Henderson, who recently accepted a job as the superintendent of the Silex R-I School District. Henderson had been the assistant superintendent at Wright City for three years. "I'm very excited, happy and pleased," said Buck. "The prospect of getting into school district administration has always been in my mind at some point in the future. "I just didn't know when that point would happen," he added. "I had an opportunity three years ago to make that move, but it didn't seem like the right time. This time it does." Buck said the opportunity to oversee the curriculum for the district at all three levels, including elementary, middle and high school, was an appealing factor. "I'm really going to put my education to work," he said. Buck has his master's degree and is working toward completing requirements for his doctorate degree. "This situation is ideal for me," he said, "because I really love being able to lead people and help them achieve academic goals." Current Superintendent Dr. Mark Porter, who is retiring June 30, said the addition of Buck to the administrative staff which also includes incoming Superintendent Chris Gaines, gives the district an "aggressive leadership team which has excellent vision for the future of the district. "We are very pleased to have Dave Buck on board," Porter said. School Board President Austin Jones said he feels Buck will be a "fine addition" to the staff at Wright City R-II. "He brings valuable experience in curriculum and instructional program development," Jones added. Buck's salary will be $85,000 annually. Dr. John Long, the R-III district superintendent, said the school launched a search for a new principal Tuesday morning. Long said he hoped to be able to name a replacement principal as soon as possible. "We appreciate all the great work Dave Buck did for our school district," said Long. "And at the same time, we also understand his desire to move into a central office environment. "We wish him the very best of success in his new position," added Long. "I'm confident he will do well." Among the attractions of the R-II school district, Buck said, was the fact Wright City is poised for extensive growth in the future. "We have a brand new elementary school which will open in August of 2009," Buck explained. "Our current elementary school (Wright City Elementary) was named a Gold Star school last year. "We anticipate we are well-positioned to meet the future growth needs within our district," he said. Buck came to Warrenton High School after serving as the principal for several years at Fatima High School in Westphalia in the Osage R-III School District. He also served in the Osage district as an assistant principal and a teacher. During his three years at Warrenton, the school completed a construction project to add an additional wing to the facility. It added 16 classrooms to the high school.