The Warren County Board of Education chose longtime school system employee Bobby Cox to be the new director of schools Thursday night. Cox will be taking over July 1 with the departure of current Director of Schools Dr. Jerry Hale, who announced his retirement in October.Cox was picked from a field of 10 applicants in which he was the only local candidate.At the regular School Board meeting Thursday night, Personnel Committee chairman Bob Young made the motion to hire Cox, who had already been approved by the committee at an earlier meeting. The board voted unanimously to approve the motion.“I want to commend the board for their selection,” said Dr. Hale, “I think that’s an excellent choice.”School Board chairman Scott Holmes explained the hiring process.“This search was done across the United States,” Holmes said.