Plum School Board promotes 2 principals, hires teachers ahead of school year

The Plum School Board promoted two principals as the 2025-26 school year nears its start.

Stephan Sereda, who previously served as an assistant principal at Plum High School, will now head up operations there as principal. At Holiday Park Intermediate School, Ashley DeVito is set to serve as principal after about a year as an assistant principal at the district’s middle school.

“I’m highly impressed and super excited for you to take the positions that you’re taking,” school board President Angela Anderson said of the two during a special meeting last week.

Sereda, who began working in the district in 2023, came to Plum from Pittsburgh Public Schools, where he was principal of Westinghouse Academy for grades 6 to 12.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and teaching from Slippery Rock University and a master’s degree in education from Ashford University (now the University of Arizona Global Campus). Sereda is completing a doctorate in education leadership at Pennsylvania Western University.

“This is an honor and a great responsibility that I will never take for granted,” Sereda said after his appointment.

Before her start in Plum, DeVito served as an assistant principal at Propel Braddock Hills High School.

A Penn Hills graduate, DeVito earned a bachelor’s degree in early childhood and special education and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Edinboro University. DeVito also holds a doctorate of education in leadership and administration from Point Park University.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to continue to build not only my leadership but the leadership capacity of others as I transition into the principal position,” DeVito said.

Sereda’s salary is set at $130,000, while DeVito will receive $120,000 from the district.

The new high school principal will replace Patrick Baughman, who had served in that role since 2023. Baughman resigned to take a job as principal at Highlands High School.

Francis Scuillo, the previous principal at Holiday Park, will shift to a classroom position in the district, Butler said.

In addition to the principal positions, the school board hired seven new teachers as well as a social worker and administrative assistant.

Among the new teachers, three will serve in special education roles at the high school, middle school and O’Block Elementary. That’s in addition to a new music teacher at O’Block and new science, Spanish, and business and technology teachers at the high school.

The teachers will start work Aug. 12 ahead of the district’s Aug. 20 first day of school.