Pine-Richland hires 2 new assistant high school principals

Two new assistant principals are joining Pine-Richland High School.

The school board approved hiring Tracy Kuchnicki and Lisa Harding at a special meeting on July 14.

Kuchnicki, who started July 18, has an annual salary of $92,000. Harding, who will start July 25, will be paid $97,000, according to the district.

They are replacing Gina Mahouski and Frank Hernandez. Mahouski resigned to take an administrative position in another district; Hernandez was promoted to principal, replacing Nancy Bowman.

Kuchnicki is not new to Pine-Richland, having been an emotional support teacher at the high school for the last five years and chair of the grades 7-12 special education department for the last three years.

“I am honored to continue my career with Pine-Richland School District as an assistant principal,” Kuchnicki said. “We have such an amazing student body and staff at the high school. I look forward to fostering a sense of community through collaboration with Pine-Richland students, staff and families.”

Kuchnicki earned a bachelor of science degree in special and elementary education at Slippery Rock University, a master’s degree in education for special education supervision, and a principal certificate from Point Park University.

Before working at Pine-Richland, Kuchnicki was a transition coordinator and special education teacher at Lifesteps Transition Program for four years and a special education teacher at The Summit Academy for two and a half years.

“Mrs. Kuchnicki has developed her leadership skills over the past few years as our special education department chair and high school emotional support teacher,” said Michael Pasquinelli, assistant superintendent of secondary education and curriculum. “These experiences, along with her desire to contribute on a broader scale to help improve the academic and social experiences for all high school students, will make an immediate positive impact.”

Harding is coming to Pine-Richland from Chesapeake Public Schools in Virginia, where she had been assistant principal for instruction at Indian River High School since 2014. In that role, she was responsible for instructional, academic and testing matters for 1,700 students and 160 staff.

“I look forward to building positive relationships with stakeholders and contributing to the culture of excellence inherent to the students, school and families,” Harding said.

Harding earned a bachelor’s degree in English education at Elon University, a master’s degree in middle-level education and educational specialist degree in leadership and administration from Walden University, and an educational doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies from Virginia Tech.

She also served as an assistant principal, team leader and teacher at Indian River Middle School. Before Chesapeake Public Schools, she taught elementary-level Spanish and middle and high school English.

“Throughout the interview process, Dr. Harding expressed her alignment with the district’s mission, vision and values,” Pasquinelli said. “Her efforts in preparing for the interviews align with comments from her references that describe Dr. Harding as a hard-working, ethically driven educator who loves working with both students and families. We are fortunate to have her as part of the high school team.”