Greater Latrobe administrative overhaul names 3 staffers assistants to superintendent

Greater Latrobe School Board this week approved a restructuring of the district’s central administrative staff that will increase responsibilities — and, eventually, pay levels — for four employees.

Those pay increases, expected to total about $30,000 next school year, raised concerns for Andrew Repko, the sole board member to vote against the restructuring, and for a resident who voiced her opposition.

Since Mike Porembka was promoted to superintendent in January, his former post of assistant superintendent has remained vacant. The board voted 8-1 Tuesday to eliminate that title and instead created three positions of assistant to the superintendent, each with a distinct focus.

“I’m excited,” Porembka said of the administrative realignment. “This is a great day for the school district.

“We’ve created a very clear chain of command now. Everybody knows who they need to report to.”

Each of the new assistant positions will be filled by an existing staffer. Becki Pellis will take on the role of assistant for elementary education and Laurie Havrisko was named the assistant for student services. The board eliminated their respective previous posts of director of curriculum, instruction and technology and director of pupil services.

Jon Mains, currently the senior high principal, was promoted to assistant for secondary education. Porembka said Mains will handle both roles for the remainder of the school year as district officials decide how best to handle the pending vacancy at the senior high.

Eugene Joe, who has assisted Havrisko with items pertaining to special education, will continue to do so as director of student services. The board eliminated his current title, student support services coordinator.

Unlike directors, Porembka said, the three new assistants to the superintendent will be empowered to carry out many tasks without first seeking his approval.

Pellis and Mains, he said, will take on some of the duties he had as assistant superintendent but will focus on elementary and secondary matters, including supervising principals and staff development.

“They’re going to work to develop our staff professionally, more in depth than we’ve ever had before. because we need it,” Porembka said following the board meeting. “Times are changing, things are different, technology is moving at an incredible rate.”

He said the assistants to the superintendent also will relieve some of the burden on principals, who will have more time to “deal with kid issues.”

Extra pay is expected to come with that extra responsibility, Porembka said. He said the four affected administrators will continue working at their current salaries for the remainder of the current school year, but he is recommending pay increases for them in 2022-23 collectively totaling about $30,000.

Porembka argued that cost is reasonable compared to more than $650,000 he said Greater Latrobe saved over a three-year period through previous realignments of administrators and temporary reductions in their numbers.

The restructuring approved by the board keeps total administrative posts at 18 — down from 19 in 2015-16 but the same number that were on the staff in 2011-12.

Repko said he’d not received enough information about added responsibilities associated with the new administrative titles.

“They might be taking stuff off the superintendent, which might be a good thing,” he said. But, given the inflation that is draining residents’ pocketbooks, he added, “It’s not frugal this year to hand out pay bumps.”

“There should be more pay freezes for you guys,” resident Christy Riffle said of district administrators. “We don’t get pay raises every time taxes go up.”

“In my budget I have for my business at home, I don’t have room for a tax increase,” said local farmer Todd Frescura. “We’re looking at 200% increases in our diesel fuel, and fertilizer is through the roof .”