The Toronto District School Board has decided to remove the acting tag and make Donna Quan its permanent director of education.

During its regular meeting Wednesday afternoon, trustees voted in favour of giving Quan a four-year contract.

Quan has been serving as the acting director of education since Chris Spence resigned the post amid a plagiarism scandal in January.

"The first nine months were really about progress through stability, but from here on in until 2017 and beyond I am hoping and I am expecting that we will make progress through visible action," Quan told reporters following the meeting. "We have enough evidence now to make the decision necessary and our future is dependent on years of action."

Quan said the modernization of schools and the balancing of the budget will be among her chief priorities going forth. She also said she also hopes to improve financial accountability at the board.

In a press release TDSB Chair Chris Bolton said he is confident Quan is the right person for the job.

"Over the past several months, Donna has demonstrated that she is the right person for the directorship," he said. "I'm confident that she will do an excellent job in leading the board forward."

A 25-year veteran of the TDSB, Quan will be paid $272,000 a year as director of education.