The school board voted unanimously Tuesday to approve his $136,000 contract to become the county's superintendent of schools.

The meeting was held in Orange High School, where Rhodes served as principal, assistant principal, science teacher, technology administrator and basketball coach for nine years before leaving for Durham.

"I can't even begin to say how excited and good I feel about this," Rhodes said after the vote. He added that the remodeled school auditorium looked great and it was good to see familiar faces.

In Durham, Rhodes has served as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction for almost two years. Before that, he was the executive director of high schools, principal of Riverside High School, middle school science teacher and coach.

In 2004, as Riverside principal, he was honored as the Wachovia Principal of the Year for the North Central Region of North Carolina.

Rhodes, 57, lives in Chapel Hill with his wife Kathleen, who teaches French and Spanish at East Chapel Hill High School. They have lived in Orange County for 25 years and have three grown sons. Rhodes said they will move somewhere in the county schools district.

The board has been searching for a superintendent since late spring, when Shirley Carraway announced she would retire Oct. 1. They interviewed six candidates and narrowed the field to two finalists, Chairman Dennis Whitling said.

The process was kept closed to the public in hopes of having a better outcome than a search for a superintendent in 2002, when candidates' names were leaked and the board couldn't agree to hire one finalist over another. That process was started over again in early 2003, resulting in Carraway's hiring several months later.

Rhodes said he will start by getting to know everyone, building trust, and identifying strengths and weaknesses in the district.

"I'm a people person," Rhodes said. "I like working in teams."