Plum names new high school, middle school principals

The Plum School Board filled the remaining vacancies in the district’s administrative team created by the departure and advancement of personnel.

During a special voting meeting Tuesday, the board approved hiring Patrick Baughman as principal of Plum High School, Stephan Sereda as an assistant high school principal and Adam Szarmach as principal of Plum Middle School.

It was not immediately known when any of the three will start.

Until they do, the board approved a contract with John Mayberry to serve as interim principal of the high school and middle school that began Wednesday. A retired Pine-Richland elementary principal, he will be paid $350 per day.

Baughman is coming to Plum from Deer Lakes, where he has been that district’s high school principal for nine years. His salary at Plum will be $130,000.

Baughman replaces Heather Hibner, who resigned in August after being hired as principal of North Allegheny Intermediate High School.

Hibner was the second Plum administrator to leave Plum for North Allegheny this year. She followed Superintendent Brendan Hyland, who resigned from Plum in June to take the superintendent job at North Allegheny.

Szarmach has been with Plum for 17 years and was an assistant principal at the high school for the past seven years. In his new role as middle school principal, his salary will be $120,000.

Szarmach replaces Ashley Boyers, who in August was named the district’s new assistant superintendent. Boyers replaced Rick Walsh, the district’s former assistant and deputy superintendent, who replaced Hyland as superintendent in July.

Sereda, who is replacing Szarmach as an assistant high school principal, is coming to Plum from Pittsburgh Public Schools, where he was principal of Westinghouse Academy for grades 6-12. His salary at Plum was set at $102,000.

In other business

Other hires approved by the school board:

• Lynne Greco, full-time paraprofessional at Pivik Elementary, retroactive to Aug. 30, at $16.35 per hour.

• Dominic Greco, help desk technician, retroactive to Aug. 24, at a salary of $39,696.

• Christopher Delsignore, full-time custodian at Plum High School, retroactive to Sept. 5, at $18.35 per hour.

• Patricia Crump, interim human resources consultant as needed, effective Sept. 13, at $200 per day.

• Full-time paraprofessionals Merissa Yusko at Plum Middle School and Shari Mease and Joanne Hollstein, both at O’Block Elementary, effective Sept. 13, at $16.35 per hour.

• Lindsay Sellers, part-time food service worker, effective Sept. 13, at $15 per hour.

The board accepted the resignations of Ronald Broda, custodian at Plum High School, effective Aug. 28; Mark Ciak, crossing guard, effective Aug. 21; and Bill Simpson, assistant high school football coach, effective Aug. 17.