New Kensington-Arnold hires school boards association to conduct superintendent search

New Kensington-Arnold School District will spend up to $13,000 to find a new superintendent.

The school board voted unanimously Tuesday to hire the Pennsylvania School Boards Association to conduct the search. The district will pay the association $5,000, plus up to $8,000 for additional costs.

“Our longstanding relationship with school boards statewide and our network that not only reaches all corners of the state, but also outside of Pennsylvania, positions us to be able to offer up the broadest, relevant candidate pool for consideration,” PSBA spokeswoman Annette Stevenson said.

The board is working to find a replacement for John Pallone, who resigned at the end of July. Jon Banko, previously assistant superintendent, has been serving as acting superintendent since late August.

In considering how to find a new superintendent, the board heard presentations last month from the PSBA as well as Ray and Associates, an Iowa-based firm specializing in school executive leadership services.

Board President Tim Beckes said the district will meet with a representative from the school boards association to create a profile of their ideal candidate and develop a timeline. Beckes replaced John Cope as board president when the board reorganized this month.

Stevenson said there is no timetable for the search.

“While we will work to progress the search in an effective and time-efficient manner, we do not place a cap on the timeline. We are there working with the district until the successful end for a flat fee, no matter the duration,” she said.