POINT PLEASANT — Mason County soon will be looking for a new superintendent of schools.

Dr. Larry Parsons was named superintendent of Preston County Schools by the West Virginia State Board of Education during a meeting Tuesday.

Parsons will begin his new position in July.

According to the state’s Web site, the board voted to take over the system in Preston County, with the intervention to begin immediately, after an audit found that students there were not being provided with a thorough and efficient system as provided by law.

Preston County received a warning last year of a possible takeover when auditors found four major issues within the system, including limited financial resources, deteriorating school buildings, no curriculum director or full-time principals in the small schools and a lack of leadership.

A resent audit stated that the conditions were continuing to worsen.

The current superintendent, John Lofink, retired Tuesday. Former Nicholas County superintendent and RESA IV Assistant Executive Director Gus Penix will be the interim superintendent until Parsons assumes the position.

Parsons has been superintendent of the Mason County School System for 12 years. He said the state board inquired if he would be interested in becoming superintendent of Preston County because they were looking for a new superintendent to take over that system.

“It is a compliment to be considered,” Parsons said. “It is like starting over again. When I first came to Mason County, it was not in that good of shape, but it doesn’t look the same now.”

Under Parsons’ leadership, the school system has seen several new building projects and has been fully accredited. In addition, the system has never been sanctioned under the No Child Left Behind Act. Schools meeting their Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards and an increase in security and modern technology are other beneficial changes.

He also said Mason County has been able to maintain the summer school program, allowing many students to complete coursework and graduate on time.

Another program he has helped expand is tutoring for students who risk failing, and he has helped revive clubs and activities as well as expand sports programs so more students could participate.

Parsons also has helped implement counseling for students, introduced foreign language classes and worked closely with officials at the Marshall University Mid-Ohio Valley Center to offer a dual-credit program, which is partially paid for by the school system.

He said he is proud of all the programs that have been implemented under his watch, especially when it comes to the respect of the student code of conduct and the teacher code of conduct.

Although he is looking forward to the challenge of a new system, Parsons said he has mixed emotions about leaving. And because his wife, Wanda, will remain with the Mason County School System, and his son, Drew, who will be a senior at Point Pleasant High School, plays on the football team, Parsons said he intends to remain at least partially involved in Mason County.

Teresa Warner, vice president of the Mason County Board of Education, complimented Parsons’ achievements while at the helm, specifically referring to the building projects that have been completed or are in the process of being started as well as the passage of two levies.

“We wish Dr. Parsons well,” Warner said. “We hope that he can do for Preston County what he has done for Mason County.”

She added that the board will meet with Howard Ocull of the West Virginia School Board Association next week, who will help with the process of the search for and hiring of a new superintendent.

Warner said she hopes the board will be able to announce who the new superintendent is by May 1 so that when Parsons leaves, the new superintendent will be ready to step in. Until then, she said she believes Parsons will continue to work with Mason County as well as the Central Office staff during the transition.

“I have a lot of faith in the Central Office staff, in that they will step up and continue to do their job for the schools,” she said. “We have a lot to offer here in Mason County, and I hope we will attract a quality candidate for superintendent.”