Hempfield Area will have a new principal at Fort Allen Elementary School next school year.
Ross Houston, a principal at the Greater Johnstown Middle School, was hired Monday by the Hempfield Area School Board in a unanimous vote. Houston will receive an annual salary of $135,000 for the 2026-27 school year.
Houston said he likely will remain at Greater Johnstown for the remainder of the 2025-26 school year and will start in his new position July 1.
Houston has been the middle school principal at Greater Johnstown since July 2024 and was an elementary assistant principal there from January 2023 to June 2024, according to his LinkedIn page. He also was a secondary special education teacher in the Somerset Area School District for 14 years.
Houston replaces David Vezendy, who will return to teaching social studies, at his request, said Hempfield Area Superintendent Mark Holtzman.
