Aug 13, 2017 By Eric Morris emorris@heraldstandard.Com 2 min read

Ringgold School Board filled five positions in preparation for the new school year and gave approval for the state school boards association to begin the search for a new district superintendent.

In a special meeting last week, school directors made two personnel additions at Ringgold High School.

New hires include Lisa Mauro, math teacher and Jordan Henderson, guidance counselor.

Erica Genchur was hired as an autism teacher at the middle school. At Ringgold Elementary School North, Tara Schmidt was hired as a fifth-grade teacher and Danielle Veliky as a speech/language teacher.

School directors accepted the resignations of high school social studies teacher/RAMS coordinator Cody Strelick, middle school science teachers Darren Myzak and Natalie Grote, and middle school maintenance employee Troy Yonkers.

Turning to other matters, the board made a step towards filling the district’s head administrative position that will open when Superintendent Dr. Karen Polkabla retires at the end of the 2017-18 school year.

The board accepted a proposal from the Pennsylvania School Boards Association to conduct a search for a new superintendent on the district’s behalf. The search comes at a cost of $5,000, with an additional $1,000 per finalist to complete reference checks.

Polkabla announced in April her intent to retire.

In other business, the board:

n Approved the opening of a capital projects bank account with the Pennsylvania Local Government Investment Trust.

n Approved a change order from Hudson Group Inc. in the amount of $34,233 for work associated with filling the high school’s underground water tank, an expense related to the new Ringgold Middle School project.

n Added Tara Edwards (teacher), Leigh-Ann Scheponik (teacher), Tara Reidenbaugh (nurse) and Cheryl Yonkers (aide) to the substitute rosters.

n Granted tenure to Gregory Schutz.

n Adopted a restructuring plan for central office personnel.