Plum Borough School District's assistant superintendent is taking a job with neighboring Gateway School District.
Guy Rossi has been serving as superintendent since Plum School Board members put Superintendent Timothy Glasspool and high school Principal Ryan Kociela on paid administrative leave in late May, pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
The board hired Levin Legal Group to investigate current and former employees mentioned in an Allegheny County grand jury report that questioned why district officials did not act on or report rumors about teachers sexually abusing students.
Gateway School Board voted Tuesday to hire Rossi and another assistant superintendent. He has a five-year contract with Gateway and a starting salary of $130,000.
William Short, the previous assistant superintendent at Gateway, became its superintendent July 1, replacing Nina Zetty, who retired.
Plum School Board President Kevin Dowdell said Wednesday that he learned of Rossi's impending departure late Tuesday.
“He'll certainly be here (in Plum) through the start of school, at minimum the first couple weeks,” Dowdell said of Rossi. “He's been very good. As assistant superintendent under Dr. Glasspool, he was in charge of the curriculum and educational aspects of the district. He worked hard this summer, making sure everything was set up for the start of school.”
Classes begin Aug. 29.
“Plum will have my full attention until my departure,” Rossi said, calling the district a “great educational community with a fantastic student body and parent support.” He lives in Monroeville, and said Gateway “is home for me.”
Dowdell said he's not sure when the district will start an assistant superintendent search.
Plum school Director Steve Schlauch, chairman of the board's personnel committee, said the future of Plum's superintendent and assistant superintendent positions is unclear.
“Before we make any key top personnel decisions, we want to see how this investigation concludes,” he said.
District Solicitor Lee Price said Tuesday that Glasspool and Kociela might return. There is no timeline for the investigation to conclude, Plum officials said.
“We're hoping to reach a conclusion soon,” Schlauch said. “We've got some decisions to make as a board, with key decisions at the top. We've discussed alternative options to have a plan in place either way.”
Rossi, a Beaver County native, became Plum's assistant superintendent in November 2011. He received a four-year contract in July 2014. His salary under that contract was $127,500 in 2015.
Michael DiVittorio is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-871-2367 or mdivittorio@tribweb.com. Freelance writer Emily Balser contributed.
