Longtime Greater Latrobe school administrator named assistant superintendent

Longtime Greater Latrobe school administrator Michael Porembka took a step up in the district’s central office this week, with a promotion to assistant superintendent.

The school board Tuesday appointed Porembka to the new position for a five-year term, as he resigned as director of teaching and learning, the post he’s held since July 2013.

Porembka took on the role of assistant superintendent a few weeks after that office was vacated by Georgia Teppert, who was named the district’s new superintendent at a special July 19 school board meeting.

In a comment echoed by several others Tuesday, school board member Michael O’Barto suggested Teppert and Porembka, each with two decades of experience at the district, “will make a great team.”

O’Barto also suggested that the tasks Porembka handled as director of teaching and learning be combined with Porembka’s new position or distributed among other administrators rather than hiring a replacement.

“I think this could be a cost savings to the district,” O’Barto said. “If it can be done, I’d like to see it happen, and I ask the board to consider it.”

“I need to assess where we are now and what the duties are that would need to be divided to make that decision,” Teppert said.

“We need to evaluate it and see the best way to move forward for the district,” Porembka said.

Porembka’s contract for his new position had yet to be prepared by Solicitor Ned Nakles. Under the recently approved 2019-20 district budget, Porembka was earning $126,770 as director of teaching and learning, while Teppert’s assistant superintendent salary had been set at $149,547.

“I’m honored and humbled to be able to serve the district, its students, its parents and its staff,” Porembka said. “I’ve spent 22 years, half my life, in this school district.”

“We have a great staff from top to bottom, and I look forward to working with them in this capacity,” he said of his new role. “With every move that you make, you get to see the district through a different lens.

“I think this provides for a seamless transition. I’m anxious to get to work and be able to move the district forward.”

Porembka said he’ll continue to oversee safety and security at the district and Title I federal programs for student achievement while remaining the district’s liaison with foster parenting programs.

As assistant superintendent, he said, he’ll take on human resources and worker’s compensation responsibilities.

“I like to think that I bring a blue-collar mentality to the district,” he said. “I learned to work hard every day and the value of doing things right the first time.”

Porembka began at the district as a high school social studies teacher and later served as assistant junior high principal and Baggaley Elementary principal.