Norwin superintendent hired as assistant superintendent in Carlynton School District

As Norwin continues its search for a new superintendent, the district’s top administrator has landed a new job at Carlynton School District south of Pittsburgh.

Norwin Superintendent Jeff Taylor was hired as Carlynton’s assistant superintendent, effective July 1. The Carlynton School Board unanimously approved Taylor’s hiring at its May 21 meeting.

Taylor, who has served as Norwin’s superintendent since July 2019, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

In recommending Taylor for the position, Carlynton Superintendent John Kreider told the school board prior to its May 21 vote that Taylor has a “distinguished background in education and leadership.”

“Dr. Taylor’s skills and background provide a great fit for the Carlynton School District and great opportunity for us,” Kreider said.

During his tenure at Norwin, Taylor led initiatives in science, technology, engineering, art and math programs, esports and multimedia production, as well as significant advancements in sustainability and environmental literacy.

“His efforts resulted in the highest levels of student achievement in the history of the district,” Kreider said.

The assistant superintendent’s position at Carlynton was created in November as a result of the resignation of the director of curricular instruction and assessment, Kreider said.

The advertised salary range was between $115,000 and $135,000. The board did not announce Taylor’s salary when it hired him.

With a total enrollment of about 1,250, Carlynton is drastically smaller than Norwin, which has about 5,000 students, according to Niche.com.

Norwin School Board President Matt Thomas said Taylor did not want to make an announcement last week, when the focus was on the seniors graduating on May 23.

Taylor notified the Norwin School Board in January that he would resign as of June 30, the date his five-year contract expires.

While he is leaving Norwin next month, the federal lawsuit that Norwin School Board Director Alex Detschelt filed against him in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh in August 2023 remains unresolved.

Detschelt claimed that Taylor retaliated against him and violated his First Amendment rights when the superintendent criticized him for posting a social media meme using a sexually explicit word and a demeaning word for mentally disabled people in an attack on then Lt. Gov. John Fetterman in October 2022, shortly before Fetterman won the election for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Meanwhile, Norwin is continuing its search for a new superintendent, with the assistance of Templeton Advantage LLC, a search firm based in Newport, about 30 miles northwest of Harrisburg.

The school district conducted an initial round of interviews with applicants and is moving toward a second round of interviews, Thomas said. The board president declined to say how many candidates remain in contention for the superintendent’s position.

Those chosen for the next round of interviews will undergo a more rigorous analysis of their skills and experiences via the activities and questions embedded into that phase of the process, the district said in a statement on its website.

Tom Templeton, founder of Templeton Advantage, could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.