DASD board hires new assistant principal, approves teacher’s contract by Glenn Schuckers

With two members absent for the regular board meeting, The DuBois Area School Board voted to hire a  new assistant principal for the High School. Neither Mark Gilga nor Jeff Mattinger were present for the September 22 meeting but both were listed as excused. With six members present in the Administrative Center and one,  Sam Armagost,  participating via phone hookup, the Board hired Lauren McLaughlin as the new assistant principal at the High School. 

McLaughlin had been an administrator in the Punxsutawney Area School District, and previous to that had been an English teacher in the DuBois District for nineteen years. McLaughlin said she was happy to return to DuBois and looks forward to working with the administrative team. She will bring both her knowledge and experience in the District  as well as some ideas from outside DuBois to her new role. 

In addition to hiring a new assistant principal, the board also hired two instructors, Amanda Pollock, a special education instructor, and Tyler Waltman, a geography instructor for the Middle School.  The board also hired Charlie Gafffney as a licensed practical nurse. 

Before voting to hire new personnel, the board, by a four to three vote, approved a new contract with the teachers in the district. The contract will be in effect for the next four years with an average of about a three percent increase in salary in each year.

One of the members to vote against the new contract, Dave Schwab, said although he thought the contract was fair to both sides, the teachers and the taxpayers, he had objections to the way the teachers’ association divided the money, saying that cuts in salary to some extra duty positions were not fair and were applied to some of the academic positions unequally. During the voting, Sam Armagost said he totally agreed with Schwab along with Board President Larry Salone. Both repeated that the contract is a fair agreement, and Salone at first said he might not vote and then, along with Armagost and Schwab, voted no. 

Salone did offer his thanks to the members of both negotiating teams.