On Thursday, the Hernando County School Board chose Martin County administrator Lori Romano to be the district’s next superintendent by a 3-2 vote.

The two dissenting board members had Hernando assistant superintendent Ken Pritz as their first choice. Board members didn't agree on a second choice should negotiations fall through. The only vote they were unanimous on was that Highlands County administrator Rebecca Fleck was not the right choice for them. They eliminated her moments after beginning deliberations.

Here’s how the board members initially ranked the candidates during Thursday’s deliberations:

Board Chairman Matt Foreman: 1) Pritz 2) former Marion County deputy superintendent Diana Greene 3) Romano.

Board Vice Chairman Gus Guadagnino: 1) Romano 2) Greene.

Board member Dianne Bonfield: 1) Hernando assistant superintendent Sonya Jackson 2) (tie) Greene, Romano 3) Pritz.

Board member John Sweeney never ranked any of the candidates during Thursday’s deliberation. He spoke most about Romano before casting his vote for her. After the meeting, he said Romano and Pritz were tied for first. He said Romano had more consensus with the board and that Pritz wasn’t a top candidate for two board members.

Romano owes the nomination, in large part, to Sweeney. Romano wasn't on the list of five recommended finalists named by the search committee. He added her to the list. None of the other board member expressed a desire to interview her.

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