Ligonier Valley School District officials are beginning a search for a new superintendent as Tim Kantor, who has held the top administrative post since 2021, prepares to retire with a new title and a yearlong extension of his medical leave.

The school board has agreed to pay Peter Emery D’Arcangelo $150 per hour to conduct a search for a new superintendent. The cost for the service was capped at $14,000 plus expenses.

D’Arcangelo simultaneously is serving Ligonier Valley as interim superintendent, a role he has filled since March 18 — at a separate hourly rate of $150, with a daily cap of $650.

Kantor is entitled to the extended leave because of his years of service at the district — since 2002, D’Arcangelo said.

“He was very loyal,” he said of Kantor.

The school board, as of July 1, transferred Kantor to the honorary role of senior administrator — until his expected retirement at the end of the 2025-26 school year.

D’Arcangelo said the move is part of “a transition plan that enables the district to appoint a new permanent superintendent while respecting the contributions and tenure of Mr. Kantor.”

D’Arcangelo said, “You can’t have two superintendents.”

He said Kantor will remain on leave. He will not be involved in day-to-day district operations. Kantor’s reassignment comes with no administrative authority or supervisory duties, D’Arcangelo noted.

D’Arcangelo suggested advertising for six weeks for superintendent candidates.

“Our hope is to do first-round interviews in September,” he said.

Before then, D’Arcangelo said, he would plan to survey each school board member, as well as selected parents, students and teacher and staff representatives — to get input on the leadership style and capabilities the Ligonier Valley community envisions for a new superintendent.

D’Arcangelo, who retired in 2013 as superintendent of Franklin Regional School District, said he’s used the same approach in conducting superintendent searches as a consultant for several other school districts. Most recently, he performed a search for Greater Latrobe School District, which hired as its new superintendent Kim Rieffannacht — formerly assistant superintendent for elementary education at Hempfield Area School District.

A graduate of Derry Area High School, Kantor served in an Army Ranger battalion from 1989 to 1995. After teaching in Raleigh, N.C., he joined the Ligonier Valley district in 2002 as a teacher at the now-closed Laurel Valley Middle/High School.

He became the assistant principal at Ligonier Valley High School in 2009 and was promoted to principal of that school in 2011.

Recent staffing changes

At D’Arcangelo’s recommendation, the Ligonier Valley School Board recently approved several changes in administrative and faculty positions.

The board assigned a new role for Adam Storey, who has been working at the district for 23 years — including integrating technology into classrooms. His new dual position of assistant principal and district technology integration coordinator at Ligonier Valley Middle School comes with a salary of $97,500.

“He has two children in the district and has a wife who is a teacher,” D’Arcangelo said. “I think he will be a great asset to the district. We need people who will stay with us and move forward.”

Creation of that assistant principal role allows Ligonier Valley to eliminate a dean of students position, D’Arcangelo said. At his suggestion, Sheri Zambanini, who held the latter role while also teaching math, was reassigned as a math instructional coach — while the district focuses on improving students’ math test scores.

The board also hired Margaret Cowan as an instructor of hearing impaired students, at a salary of $55,795, and Jonathan Finger as a a guidance counselor at Ligonier Valley High School, at a salary of $55,273.

D’Arcangelo recommended replacing a recent retirement in the guidance office. He noted there were 65 high school seniors who took dual enrollment courses offered through agreements among the district and participating colleges.

He said Cowan, who will be placed at Laurel Valley Elementary, provided a similar service through the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit before it was eliminated. With Cowan on board, he suggested Ligonier Valley could provide hearing impaired services to neighboring districts.

The various personnel moves, D’Arcangelo said, should save the district about $160,000.

D’Arcangelo said he’s implemented periodic meetings of district administrators to review goals, and with teacher union representatives.

“You have a wonderful school district with great people,” he told the school board, but he added, “There has been a lack of long-range goals and some vision.”

The board has started a committee to work on a long-range strategic plan for the district.

“The students need to be the focus of what we do moving forward,” D’Arcangelo said.

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