CHAFFEE, Mo. -- The Chaffee school board has hired Richland School District superintendent Ken Latham to replace Dr. Arnold Bell, effective July 1.

Bell has accepted a job as superintendent of a school district north of St. Charles, Mo.

Latham, who lives in Sikeston, Mo., was chosen from among 16 candidates, school officials said Wednesday.

Bell grew up in Southeast Missouri and has been a school administrator at various schools in the region for 24 years.

He previously served as superintendent of schools at Sikeston, Caruthersville and Oran. He has headed the Chaffee school system for the past six years.

"I am looking for a new challenge," Bell said of his decision to take the job as superintendent of the Winfield School District in Lincoln County.

The district has 1,600 students in kindergarten through high school. Chaffee has fewer than 600 students.

The Winfield district is experiencing growth, but it's still a rural area, Bell said. "That is what I like about it," he said.