WORCESTER, Mass. - We're getting a chance to meet the man who will soon lead the Worcester Public Schools. Brian Allen will fill the position being left open by Dr. Rachel Monárrez, who is going back to California at the end of this school year.

A South High graduate, Allen says he's excited to get to work as the district's leader.

He says his decades long tenure in the Worcester Public Schools gives him a wealth of knowledge to help lead the district on the right path forward. In time with the district, Allen has held a number of positions in WPS.

"I've been with the Worcester Public Schools since 1998," Allen said in an interview this week. "I was an assistant business manager, then business manager, then chief financial officer, then chief financial and operations officer. And now deputy superintendent, chief operating officer, and chief financial officer."

But the title of superintendent was something he says wasn't on his radar.

"Being approached, is this something I would consider, I certainly did and here we are today," he said. "I'm really excited with where we're going."

Allen will assume the position July 1 pending contract negotiations.

Current superintendent Dr. Rachel Monárrez will return to California, and lead the Orange Unified School District after three years in the city. Allen says his priority is continuing the progress spearheaded by Monárrez.

"We've done a lot of work on systems improvement as part of the strategic plan," Allen said. "And so it's really taking the strategic plan and the vision of a learner that we've put in place and starting to go really deep on that work."

Allen says the district's biggest challenge right now is resources, and rumblings of cuts to federal dollars. He says right now 9% of the district’s funding is made up of those federal dollars.

"We can't do everything that we really want to do even as part of the strategic plan and we've had to prioritize," said Allen. "So, that is going to continue to be work. We have one more year of funding under the student opportunity act and then kind of back to the old way in which we were funded."

Describing himself as a 'Worcester kid,' Allen is ready to take the reins, saying his time in the city, and district, will help him lead the way.

"I just view everything in that context," he said. "To see the opportunities that were available to me, compared to the more opportunities, I think we are able to provide our students today."

Allen is still in the midst of contract negotiations, but Mayor Joe Petty announcing at last week's School Committee meeting his term would be for three years to start.