Andrew DeAntonio’s success when he stepped into an interim assistant principal role at Valley High School was like that of former Pirates’ star Bill Mazeroski coming off the bench and hitting a home run.

And Jeff Thimons’ efforts as interim principal of Roy A. Hunt Elementary this year, working with staff to improve attendance, grades and behavior, is something the district wants to see continue.

That’s Superintendent Christopher Sefcheck’s reasoning in removing the “interim” from Thimons’ and DeAntonio’s roles and appointing them as principal of Hunt Elementary and assistant principal of Valley Jr.-Sr. High School, respectively.

The school board did so Tuesday night.

“I believe in the people here,” DeAntonio said. “I believe in the students and teachers, and I want to do the job I think needs to be done.”

That job, he said, is to make good decisions to advance Valley High School.

“My goal is to put people in a position to be successful,” he said.

DeAntonio has taught at New Kensington-Arnold for 20 years. He earned his bachelor’s degree in secondary education, social studies from Clarion University and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Clarion. He earned his principal certification from California University of Pennsylvania.

Thimons was an assistant principal at Valley High School for more than 10 years. Sefcheck pointed to Thimons’ efforts leading Roy A. Hunt Elementary: The school has shown academic improvement for the first time in a decade and attendance has increased by 17%.

Thimons’ salary is $101,800 and DeAntonio’s is $90,000, Sefcheck said.

Also at the meeting, the board approved an employment agreement with Jeffrey McVey, its business manager and director of administrative services.

The contract begins July 1 and expires June 30, 2030.

He will be paid $127,400 next year and is eligible for a 3.5% increase each year thereafter.

McVey’s impact to the district is “immeasurable,” Sefcheck said.

“He is a top-notch business manager,” Sefcheck said.

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