By JASON MICHAEL WHITE

ANDERSON — The Frankton-Lapel school district’s second in command is getting promoted to the top administrative spot.

The Frankton-Lapel Community School Corp. board of trustees voted unanimously Thursday to hire Robert Fields as superintendent. Fields is currently the school district’s assistant superintendent and will start his new job July 1.

He will replace Superintendent Ned Speicher, who is leaving the school district for a new job as superintendent of the Rensselaer Central School Corp.

Fields started his career with the school district as a math and physical education teacher in 1984. He became athletic director of Lapel High School, served as assistant principal at the high school and became the building’s principal for three years. He has served as assistant superintendent for five years.

“I’ve had just about every job there is to have at this corporation,” he said jokingly after the board voted to hire him. “I really feel lucky and fortunate.”

Board members wanted Fields to take over for Speicher from the start, but they did not want to offer him the position without making sure he was the best person for the job, said Nancy Likens, school board president.

The board’s hiring decision followed a three-month process of reviewing 12 applications, interviewing six candidates and inviting principals to participate in interviewing three finalists.

What made Fields stand out was his experience, receptiveness and interest in the success of the school district, Likens said.

For instance, the three finalists were encouraged to ask questions of board members and principals. Each finalist asked questions, but Fields was the only one who bothered writing down their answers, Likens said.

“It wasn’t just a question to ask, it was a question he wanted answered,” Likens said. “He sincerely cares about the success of this school district.”

One of Fields’ goals is to focus more on higher-achieving students within the school district, he said.

For instance, schools could expand on programs that allow students to receive college credit along with high school credit, he said.

The school district already uses a lot of resources for remediation, he said.