Montville ― After a three-month search, the school board announced Thursday that it has appointed Assistant Superintendent of Schools Dianne Vumback to replace Laurie Pallin as superintendent of schools, effective July 1.

Pallin announced in January she will retire at the end of the current school year. The nine members of the school board appointed themselves to the Superintendent Search Committee to find her replacement. The committee unanimously decided to hire Vumback.

School Board Chair Wills Pike said in a press release said the decision ends a “competitive search for the position,” that the school board had taken very seriously.

“We listened to our many stakeholders who participated in interviews, focus groups, and an online survey,” he said. “We spread the net wide in our search for candidates and were grateful to have had an excellent pool of highly qualified candidates to choose from.”

Along with the online survey soliciting input from residents, school and town officials, the committee had also enlisted Mary Broderick, a consultant provided by the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education to assist in the search process.

“Dr. Dianne Vumback rose to the top as an exceptional candidate and fit for Montville,” Pike said.

She inherits from Pallin a school district with approximately 2,160 students across six schools.

d.drainville@theday.com