-STO-ROX-
By Jamie Wiggan
The Sto-Rox School District has finished receiving applicants and is now reviewing a slew of candidates in its search for a new superintendent.
“We were pleased to receive a number of applications,” Interim Superintendent Joseph Dimperio told the school board April 7.
“We’re going to go through them now and try to decide which of the applicants meet the criteria that we established.”
Dimperio – brought on in November to fill in while former Superintendent Frank Dalmas was placed on leave – was also tasked by the board with finding a successor. Dalmas remains on leave with the district, according to district lawyers, and will retire in January 2023.
Dimperio said the board would form a subcommittee to process applications, but encouraged all directors to engage with the hiring process when the candidate pool narrows.
At Dimperio’s recommendation, the district also hired Diane Kirk of the University of Pittsburgh “to facilitate stakeholder meetings as a part of the superintendent search process,” at a one-time cost of $750 or less. Dimperio said Kirk was scheduled to meet with the board on April 21 and May 19. He did not indicate when the district expects to complete the hire.
Also during the April 7 meeting, Dimperio said the district had begun hiring a new high school principal.
Former Assistant High School Principal Sam Weaver resigned effective March 22. Assistant High School Principal Chris Captline is still employed by the district. Michael Duca, high school English and social studies teacher, was made acting assistant principal March 24.
As part of the hiring process, Dimperio said the two former assistant principal roles would be combined.
“Right now we have a two-principal system,” he said. “We talked about having a principal and we talked about having an assistant, and maybe some ancillary positions.
Dimperio said a job description for the new position had been posted and he expected the position would be filled by the end of the current school year.