The Bulloch County school board has settled the question of who will be the principal of Southeast Bulloch Middle School for the next year.

After emerging from an executive session Thursday night, the board approved naming Milton Williams, the school's assistant principal, as the interim principal. He will serve in that role for the entire 2013-14 school year before retiring. A permanent principal will be named in time for the 2014-15 school year.

"Mr. Williams is well-respected and well-known in the Southeast Bulloch community," Bulloch County Schools Superintendent Charles Wilson said. "He is a strong leader, and we trust him to provide the stability that SEBMS needs while building upon the continuous-improvement culture that has developed under the strong teacher leadership at this school."

Donna Clifton, currently the school's principal, will take over as principal of Southeast Bulloch High School in the 2013-14 school year. She fills the vacancy left by Dr. Trey Robertson, who will resign to become an assistant superintendent in Bryan County.

"My desire is to continue moving in the direction that Mrs. Donna Clifton has established," Williams said in a statement Friday. "I want to continue building on her legacy. We have outstanding staff, parents and students, we will continue to grow."

Williams has been with Bulloch County Schools since 1994. He served 12 years as the in-school suspension coordinator at SEB High and has been an assistant principal at SEB Middle for the last seven years. He served 10 years as a health and physical education teacher at Wilder Middle School in the Savannah-Chatham County school system and a year as a health and P.E. teacher at Central Middle School in Effingham County.

"We are fortunate to have Mr. Williams on our team and appreciate his commitment," Wilson said.

Jason Wermers may be reached at (912) 489-9431.