Adams County school board hires Larry Hook as next superintendent

Adams County Ohio Valley Local School District chose Larry Hook to lead a system that serves about 3,200 students across West Union and the rest of the county, setting up next year’s decisions on staffing stability, academic gains and how tightly the district holds the line on spending. The board of education voted May 4 to hire Hook as superintendent, and the district said its search focused on three priorities: improving student achievement, strengthening family engagement and keeping finances responsible.

Those priorities matter in a district that stretches across the second-largest geographical footprint in Ohio, with three elementary schools, three high schools and a career and technical center spread among 519 employees. The district’s search brochure said Hook was expected to take office on or before August 1, 2026, putting him in place for the budget and staffing decisions that will shape classrooms in the 2026-27 school year.

Hook brings more than 30 years in public education, including work as a classroom teacher, building administrator and district leader in southwest Ohio. His most recent post was superintendent of Forest Hills Local School District near Cincinnati, where he oversaw about 7,000 students and an annual budget of roughly $113 million. That experience suggests the board wanted someone used to managing complex staffing, finances and public expectations, not just school-level operations.

Forest Hills said Hook resigned effective July 31, 2026 after 36 years in education and about 3 1/2 to 4 years as superintendent there. The district also credited him with helping during passage of a 6.9-mill combination levy in 2023, including 1.5 mills for permanent improvements, a reminder that school leaders in Ohio often have to balance academic goals with the politics of local tax support.

In his welcome message to ACOVSD, Hook said he was “honored, excited, and humbled” to join the district and said he had been impressed by the “passion, pride, and commitment” of staff, the community and the board. He also said he was born and raised in a small rural town in Iowa and graduated in a class of 84 students, a detail that may resonate in a rural Adams County district where local identity still shapes trust in leadership.

Hook replaces Dawn Wallace, who was selected in May 2023 effective August 1, 2023, after Rich Seas retired following eight years as superintendent. The board’s current members are David Riley, Sally McDaniel, Ben Hilderbrand, Trent Arey and Paula McIntosh. With Hook now in line to take over, families and taxpayers will be watching to see whether the district’s next chapter brings steadier staffing, stronger results and a clearer public case for every dollar spent.