BEDFORD -- School board Chairman Gary Hostutler officially announced Superintendent James Blevins' plans to retire at Thursday evening's meeting of the Bedford County School Board.

He "came to us tonight and announced he is planning to retire June 30, 2009," Hostutler said.

Blevins, 59, has been superintendent of the school system since 1998; before that he was superintendent in Nottaway County. His career in education spans nearly four decades.

Hostutler said the school board will enlist the services of a hiring firm to conduct a nationwide search for Blevins' successor. He said the board intends to hire during the first quarter of next year a replacement who could begin work July 1.

"We have many challenges ahead of us, and he [Blevins] has a lot to do in the next nine months," Hostutler said.

A new line item was added in the "executive administration" category of this fiscal year's budget -- $100,000 for contractual expenses, which school board members acknowledged earlier this week could be used to advertise requests for proposals for a superintendent search and other hiring costs.

"We are not going to spend anywhere near that amount of money for a search," Hostutler said.

Some of the money in that category is committed to a facilities study the board approved earlier this year, he said.

As chief of the school system, Blevins will earn a salary of $135,313 this fiscal year, not including benefits. In his first year at Bedford County Public Schools, he earned $90,000.

"I have been on the board for seven years now, and I have enjoyed working with him. He is going to be a hard act to follow," said Talbot Huff, the school board member who represents the Moneta District.

Blevins declined to comment after Thursday's meeting.

A statement prepared by schools spokesman Ryan Edwards read: "Dr. Blevins is very appreciative of his staff that worked so hard for him, and he wants the first time that he speaks publicly to be to them tomorrow."

During his tenure as superintendent in Bedford County, Blevins has overseen the construction of two schools -- Goodview Elementary and Thomas Jefferson Elementary -- and renovations at all three of the county's high schools. Two large projects -- a $38.5 million renovation at Jefferson Forest High and a $5.9 million renovation at Staunton River High School -- will be completed this fall.

Huddleston District board member David Black commended Blevins' work to accomplish the construction projects during a time when the school board and the county's board of supervisors were not always in accord.

"We are going to finish these two renovations early and under budget so we can do some more," Black said.

Edwards was unsure Thursday how or where Blevins plans to spend his retirement.