Kiski Area continues personnel shuffle
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Kiski Area School District continues to push forward with a remake of its administrative team.
School board members approved a streamlined organization chart in April after Superintendent Jason Lohr introduced it and made the case for cutting two roles. That includes director of safety and security, and Lohr’s former post of assistant superintendent.
This new structure — and around $62,000 in associated salary increases — kicks in July 1.
In May, the board appointed four administrators already employed by the district to new or modified roles.
Two of the four hires from the June meeting are external candidates:
• Matthew Smith to high school principal at $142,000 per year. He will continue to serve as one of two assistant principals at the high school until July 1.
• Braden Hoffer to high school assistant principal at $95,000 per year. He most recently served as junior-senior high school assistant principal in the Jeannette City School District.
• Kellie-Ann Maute to Upper Elementary School principal at $110,000 per year, taking on Brian Swartzlander’s former role. She most recently served as Claysville Elementary School assistant principal in the McGuffey School District.
• Dan Smith to East Primary School principal at $135,000 per year. He will continue to serve as director of technology and innovation until July 1, when he’ll start as support principal at East Primary. In September, he’ll be upgraded to acting principal before fully taking over Feb. 1.
Smith replaces Chad Roland, who was promoted to assistant to the superintendent for K-12 education and safety.
Hoffer will work alongside Alicia Szarek, who was hired in May as high school assistant principal at $97,000 per year, including $2,000 for her doctorate. The pair will replace Smith and Tony Gonnella, who spent 22 years in the role before retiring.
Gonnella addressed the school board Monday, thanking its current members and crediting a past iteration for taking a chance on a “very unorthodox, high-energy guy.”
“Nobody is going to miss working at Kiski more than me,” Gonnella said of his 39 years with the district.
Correction: This story was updated to reflect that Braden Hoffer and Alicia Szarek recently were hired as Kiski Area High School’s assistant principals. There are no vacancies on the high school’s team of principals.