Hburg Acting Supt. Resigns after Four Months

Interim Acting Superintendent Darren McLaurin announced his resignation after only four months in the position at the February monthly Committee of the Whole meeting of the Hollidaysburg Area School District Board of Directors.

The new superintendent, Curtis Whitesel, will not come in to fill the position until April. Until that time, Special Education Director Rodney Green will fill the superintendent slot.

McLaurin thanked the board for a chance to serve the district for the past four months as interim superintendent and would be glad to help out in the future in any way he can. The scramble to fill the position began when long time Hollidaysburg administrator and 10-year superintendent, Dr. Robert Gildea, resigned to accept the superintendent position at Lower Dauphin School District.

Hollidaysburg also suffered the loss of Foot of Ten Elementary principal Jamie Hartline, who has accepted the position of superintendent at Penn Cambria School District, replacing current superintendent Bill Marshall, who is retiring.

Hollidaysburg will hold him 60 days before he can leave for Penn Cambria. Hartline is a 1995 graduate of Penn Cambria and resident of the area.

Boardmember Ying Lee questioned the district contracts and agreements with CenClear to develop and maintain a positive working relationship with providers for human service needs and the Individual Student Instruction Contract with Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes for $29,500. This service is delivered virtually and works with fluency, coding, and reading comprehension. Both contracts were approved by the board.

Secretary Autumn Fiscus reviewed the retirement budget for 2024-25, covering employee retirement costs and the district’s long-range plan to fund retirement costs. Retirement accounts for 47 percent of costs out of benefits.

The next Committee of the Whole/Voting meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 13, at 7 p.m. at the Hollidaysburg Senior High School Library.