North Allegheny School Board begins process of replacing school superintendent

With little discussion, the North Allegheny School Board on May 3 unanimously approved the resignation of school Superintendent Dr. Melissa Friez, who announced the day before that she had accepted a position as superintendent of the Mt. Lebanon School District.

The hunt for North Allegheny’s new school superintendent comes as the race for school board kicks into gear. There are ten candidates in the May 16 primary seeking nominations for five Republican and five Democratic spots in the November General Election ballot. The five seats up for grabs constitute a majority of the school board.

Following a closed executive session on May 3 to discuss personnel matters, school board President Libby Blackburn said she’d inform the Tribune-Review about the next steps in the superintendent search as soon as the board determined them.

Friez’s resignation is effective June 2, which is also the last day of school.

Friez didn’t speak about her resignation at the meeting. She announced her departure in a districtwide email sent to North Allegheny families, saying that she agreed to stay on at her current post for 120 days to enable a smooth transition.

“I am humbled by the relationships I have been able to establish with students, families, staff, and administrators at NASD,” she said in the email.

Friez was required under her contract to provide 120 days written notice of her resignation.

The Mt. Lebanon Board of School Directors, in a 9-0 vote on May 1, hired Friez as superintendent for a five-year term, according to an announcement on the school district website. She replaces superintendent, Dr. Timothy Steinhauer, who is retiring at the end of this school year.

Friez, of Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, will begin her new position July 1 at a salary of $250,000, an amount confirmed by Mt. Lebanon School District spokeswoman Kristen James.

Friez began at North Allegheny in 2019 as the assistant superintendent of secondary schools before being named superintendent in 2021 at a salary of $185,000.

Prior to joining the North Allegheny School District, Friez served as an assistant superintendent of student support services for Pittsburgh Public Schools for five years. Prior to that, she was an assistant superintendent of instructional leadership for the city school system.

Friez also was a principal for nine years, including eight at Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood.

She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature and psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, a master’s degree in secondary English education from Duquesne University and K-12 principal certification from Carlow University.

Friez earned a doctorate in administrative and policy studies and a superintendent’s letter of eligibility from Pitt.

Friez’s current salary at North Allegheny is $188,700, which she disclosed through district spokeswoman Brandi Smith.

The most current enrollment figures show North Allegheny to have 8,425 students in 12 schools.

As of May 1, the district employed 1,209 people, according to Smith.