New Kensington-Arnold to interview 7 candidates for superintendent

New Kensington-Arnold School Board will soon begin interviewing candidates for district superintendent, including the man who has been serving as the district’s acting chief since last summer.

The district in December hired the Pennsylvania School Boards Association to help it find a replacement for former Superintendent John Pallone, who resigned at the end of July.

Applications were due by Feb. 16.

“We selected seven candidates from the pool of applicants to conduct first-round interviews, which will take place next week,” board President Tim Beckes said.

Beckes would not comment on any of the candidates or say how many people applied for the district’s top post.

“From the first round of interviews we will select candidates for a second round of interviews,” Beckes said. “Those interviews will be conducted as soon as possible, but will depend on candidate availability.”

Jon Banko, previously assistant superintendent under Pallone, has been serving as the district’s acting superintendent. Banko applied for the permanent position, and confirmed he is among the seven candidates to be interviewed in the first round.

New Kensington-Arnold is paying PSBA up to $13,000 to help it find a new superintendent. The district will pay $5,000, plus up to $8,000 for additional costs.

A survey asking district residents about what traits they want in a new superintendent had been posted to the district’s website. The survey closed on Feb. 15.

No information on the results of the survey were available.

The district previously indicated it intends to hire a new superintendent by July 1.