McLaurin Temporarily Steps in as Superintendent

The motion to appoint Darren McLaurin as acting Superintendent of the Hollidaysburg Area School District was unanimously approved by the board of directors at the October committee of the whole/voting meeting. McLaurin will step into this role to fill in for departing Superintendent Dr. Robert Gildea. McLaurin will be hired at a rate of $550 per day effective Oct. 30, 2023, through Oct. 30, 2024, or until the district hires a new superintendent. McLaurin retired as the Claysburg-Kimmel School District superintendent, a position he assumed in December 2017. Prior to Claysburg, McLaurin had been at Westmont Hilltop School District for 19 years serving as a business education teacher, athletic director, assistant high school principal, and principal at Westmont Hilltop Middle School. He then took over as elementary principal at Cambria Heights School District before serving as superintendent at Harmony Area School District. McLaurin lives in the Hollidaysburg Area School District and has a child enrolled in the district.

The Wednesday, Oct. 18, board meeting was the final meeting under Dr. Gildea, who will be leaving at the end of October to take over as superintendent at Lower Dauphin School District on a five-year contract going through 2028 at a salary of $190,000. The Hollidaysburg School Board of Directors presented Gildea with a certificate of thanks for a job well done and a thank you bag. Board President Dr. Ronald Sommer said Lower Dauphin was getting a great leader and person that will be missed at Hollidaysburg.

Gildea has led the district as superintendent for the past decade. In his 23 years with the district, he has served as an elementary teacher, elementary principal, principal of the Hollidaysburg Cyber School, and athletic director. He had also served as a coach. The board will now begin its search for a replacement, discussing what steps to take in their upcoming meetings.

During the superintendent’s report, Dr. Gildea laid out the goals and anticipated outcomes established by the district leaders for the 2023-24 school year. District goals include: a student-centered learning environment, meet the needs of the “whole child,” a safe learning environment, continued emphasis on collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, communication, and promoting citizenship.

“We need to meet the needs of the individual student,” Gildea said. “All students cannot be educated in the same manner. We are offering more choices to students than ever before. We are building contributing students through the use of hands on learning.”

He said maintaining district facilities will be the most difficult challenge due to funding. Gildea then gave a ten-year reflection on what has been accomplished in the district.

The next committee of the whole/voting meeting will be Wednesday, Nov. 15, at the senior high school library.