Superintendent Matthew Harris will lead the Penn-Trafford School District for another five years following a vote by the school board this week.
Harris came to the district in 2007. He worked in various administrative roles — including assistant principal of Level Green and Harrison Park Elementary schools, director of student services and assistant superintendent — before being named interim superintendent in 2013. He was hired as superintendent the following year.
Prior to Penn-Trafford, Harris worked as an elementary teacher in Prince George’s County, Md., and principal of St. Sebastian Catholic School in North Belle Vernon.
The school board voted unanimously to keep Harris as superintendent for five more years, effective July 1.
Harris called the contract renewal a blessing.
“I have been very privileged to serve the Penn-Trafford School District. I don’t feel like I’m a servant,” he said. “I feel like I’m dedicated to my students and I’m here to make sure kids have the best education possible, and I’m here to serve the community.”
Harris’ new annual salary is $179,500, which is a 5.78% increase from his 2024-25 salary of $169,690, according to OpenPAGov.
School director Toni Ising, who has served on the school board since 2009, said Harris’ devotion to the district is clear.
“You go to different events, you see him there,” she said. “Overall, he just loves the kids.”
The district’s strong performance on state tests speak to Harris’ competence, she said.
Penn-Trafford had the highest test scores 0f the 17 public school districts in Westmoreland County, according to a 2025 report by SchoolDigger.com — an independent website that ranks schools based on test scores provided by the state Department of Education. The site also said the district placed in the top 3% statewide.
“(Our test scores) surely exemplify how well we are doing as a district, and he’s at the head of it,” Ising said.
Board member Bryan Kline credited Harris with maintaining the district’s low cost per student.
The district reported in 2023-24 the second lowest cost per student — just shy of $17,500 — of the 60 school districts in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties, according to the latest available financial data published by the Department of Education.
“We’ve built a great administration team in the district and he has the correct supporting task members in that administrative team,” Kline said. “They’re all doing a great job under the helm of his leadership.”
Harris’s wife, Maureen, is a teacher at Penn-Trafford, and all three of his children graduated from the district, he said.
“It just has always been a joy,” he said. “I know a lot of people at 34 or 35 (years) are done. I am not. I am still going strong.”
