Superintendent Brendan Hyland is leaving the Plum School District better than he found it, according to the district’s school board president.

The board is expected to accept Hyland’s resignation, effective June 30, at its meeting Tuesday night, a day after North Allegheny board members voted 6-3 to hire him as their district’s leader.

Rick Walsh, Plum’s deputy superintendent, is expected to be appointed as interim superintendent starting July 1 and could replace Hyland on a permanent basis.

Plum board President Mike Devine was elected to the school board in 2019, joining it nearly two years after Hyland was hired.

“From the time he came in until his departure now, he’s had to make a lot of tough decisions. He’s done so with nothing but the most professionalism you can possibly imagine,” Devine said. “He came in after the dark days of Plum. He brought pride back to this borough and to this school district. He really changed the outside view of how people see Plum.”

Plum’s “dark days” included the conviction and imprisonment of three teachers in 2017 for having sex with students and financial settlements the district paid to its high school principal and superintendent whose resignations were connected to the scandal.

• Former North Allegheny Intermediate High School Principal hired as district superintendent

Hyland came to Plum from North Allegheny, where he was principal of the district’s intermediate school.

When Hyland was hired in Plum from among 21 candidates in February 2018, replacing Tim Glasspool, he was given a five-year contract with a starting salary of $155,000. His 2022-2023 salary was $209,101.

At North Allegheny, Hyland will start at $240,000 under a five-year contract starting July 1.

North Allegheny, serving Bradford Woods, Franklin Park, Marshall and McCandless, is significantly larger than Plum, which serves only the borough.

North Allegheny’s annual budget is about $194 million, compared to Plum’s $71 million. With 8,461 students, North Allegheny’s enrollment is more than double that of Plum’s 3,582, according to state Department of Education data.

At North Allegheny, Hyland replaces Melissa Friez, who resigned in May to become superintendent at Mt. Lebanon School District. The board hired a local firm, BR2, to conduct a search.

In a statement, Hyland said he is excited to return to North Allegheny.

“The selection process was very rigorous, and as I went through it, I became increasingly excited about the opportunity to lead North Allegheny to even higher levels of achievement and success,” he said. “I want to thank the North Allegheny board for the trust and confidence they have placed in me, and I look forward to reconnecting and supporting some of the finest professionals and students in the world. Simply, it is good to be back home.”

The North Allegheny school board approved hiring Hyland despite concerns from some board members and members of the public that the superintendent’s search had been rushed, and Hyland may not be right for the job.

“I express my deepest thanks to the board for their vote of confidence,” Hyland said after the vote.

Board president Libby Blackburn insisted that the search had been comprehensive, directed by the search firm BR2, resulting in 31 applicants, eight of whom had been brought in for interviews.

Critics said that only one candidate – Hyland – had been brought in for a second interview and not enough input had been obtained from students, teachers and the community.

“The hiring process frustrated me,” said board member Elizabeth Warner, who said that the job-interview processs for teachers and administrators “are far more rigorous.”

Melinda Wedde of McCandless expressed concerns that Hyland had been mentioned in lawsuit that alleged he had not done enough to address bullying and sexual harassment of a sophomore girl at North Allegheny while he was principal there.

Hyland was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit filed against North Allegheny.

Most of allegations in the lawsuit were dismissed in 2016; one was settled out of court through the district’s insurance company.

Some members of the NA board said that Hyland made great strides at Plum in accountability, education and restoring confidence.

In a letter emailed to members of the Plum school community, Hyland wrote he was “committed to a smooth transition to a new leader and that our schools are ready for students to start the next school year.”

Some Plum residents initially opposed 2018 Hyland’s hiring. One concern was over the North Allegheny lawsuit and others questioned why Plum hired someone with no experience as a superintendent.

Devine said he does not believe Hyland used Plum as a stepping stone.

“He came to Plum because he saw a good opportunity. I don’t know how much more he can give to Plum,” Devine said. “He gave us everything he had. An opportunity came up he couldn’t say no to. I don’t blame him for that.”

Hyland extended his thanks to the Plum school community.

“The Plum community has been so wonderful to me. I feel grateful to have been welcomed into the Mustang family,” he said in the statement. “I have had the privilege of learning from so many special people over the course of my five years as your superintendent. Together, the challenges and triumphs that we have faced have helped me to become a better person and, I hope, a better leader.”

Walsh, a 1987 Plum graduate, was principal of Pine-Richland’s Wexford Elementary before he was hired as Plum’s assistant superintendent in April 2018, shortly after Hyland was hired.

When Walsh was named deputy superintendent in 2020, Devine said the intent was to make Walsh next in line to replace Hyland.

“We are going to start to work with him on a contract and see if we can get that done in the next few weeks,” Devine said.

Asked whether that means Plum will make Walsh superintendent without conducting a search, Devine said that’s a decision the board will make.