(KNZA)--The last of three finalists seeking to be the new superintendent of the Hiawatha school district was interviewed by the USD 415 Board of Education Wednesday evening.

According to a press release from the school district, he’s Jim Howard, who currently serves as the superintendent and preK-6th principal for Hoxie Community Schools USD 412.

Howard has ties to the local area.  He is a Hiawatha High School graduate. His parents, Don and Mary, live just west of Hiawatha, and his siblings--John, Debbie and Sherri--still live in the area.

Howard also previously worked in the Doniphan West school district--serving as athletic, transportation and communications director.

His other administrative experiences include serving as a preK-8th grade principal at Copeland Schools and middle school principal at Scott City and Fort Scott.

Howard was named Exemplary Middle School Principal of the year in 2016.

He began his educational career as a 4th and 5th grade school teacher and high school coach at Sharon Springs and then Kingman.

The other two finalists for the superintendent position are current Hiawatha High School Principal Andrew Gaddis and Lonnie Moser, who currently serves as K-12 principal and assistant superintendent at Chetopa-St. Paul USD 505.

Current superintendent, Penny Hargrove, is resigning at the end of the current school year to take a job as superintendent of the Mingus Union High School District in Cottonwood, Arizona.

She has served as superintendent of the Hiawatha school district for five years