Rick Walsh, a principal in the Pine-Richland school system, has been hired as Plum School District's new assistant superintendent.
The Plum School Board voted 8-1 Tuesday to hire the 1987 Plum High School graduate as the district's administrator to manage kindergarten through eighth grades. Walsh is principal of Wexford Elementary School in the Pine-Richland School District.
Plum School Director Rich Zucco said he voted no because he did not have enough time to scrutinize the candidate.
“He has outstanding ability and a great track record for increasing student achievement levels,” board President Steve Schlauch said. “Results don't lie. This is an outstanding hire for Plum School District.”
The position was posted on the district's website, and applications were accepted through April 6. There were 25 candidates; seven were interviewed, and two were selected as finalists.
Superintendent Brendan Hyland, who was sworn in as Plum's top administrator last month, went over some of Walsh's accolades while welcoming him to the district.
“During his tenure as an administrator in multiple school districts, he was able to significantly improve student achievement levels that resulted in external acknowledgments and validation at the local, state and national levels,” Hyland said.
Walsh has worked as a principal in the Pine-Richland School District for the past 10 years.
He was the Trinity Area School District's Trinity East Elementary School principal from July 2003 through November 2008. He received the Keystone Excellence Award and the U.S. Department of Education National Blue Ribbon in 2014.
His starting salary in Plum is $130,000. An official start date was not set.
“It just feels right coming back home,” Walsh said. “I am looking forward to meeting the students, their families, building teachers, administrators... I'm really looking forward to the transition, rolling up my sleeves and getting started.”
Gail Yamnitzky is the assistant superintendent for ninth through 12th grades.
Also, the board unanimously voted to hire Jim McClelland as director of facilities. His salary is $80,000. A start date has not been set.
Michael DiVittorio is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-871-2367, mdivittorio@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MikeJdiVittorio.
