AG directors bid farewell to their president
GEORGES TWP. — Albert Gallatin School Board members bid farewell Wednesday to their president who lost his seat in this month’s election.
Michael Dunham, a lifelong resident of the school district and retired teacher in the Uniontown Area School District, adjourned November’s meeting, bringing an end to his fifth year on the board.
“You are absolutely the best I ever worked with on this board,” Director Ed Sutton told Dunham. “I can’t say enough about the commitment you have given to the district.”
During his time on the board, Dunham also has served on the Fayette County Career and Technical Institute’s joint operating committee. Directors told him Wednesday that they were honored to serve with a board member who brought so much integrity to the district.
“You always voted based upon what you knew to be the right thing to do,” Director John Kopas III told Dunham. “I really respect that.”
District Superintendent Carl Bezjak said it has been a privilege to have worked with Dunham over the last five years.
“He has been an integral part of all critical decisions moving AG forward,” he said. “We can only hope someday that his interest peaks again and he decides to return to our board.”
Dunham’s seat will be filled by Jeff Myers, who won in the election on Nov. 8. The board will select a new president during a reorganization meeting set for 6:30 p.m. Dec. 7 at George J. Plava Elementary School. The regular meeting will follow.
In personnel moves, the board awarded AnnMarie Layhue the Instructional Blended Schools position, which includes technology coaching duties for the remainder of the year. The board also voted to hire Dan Andria Jr. as an afternoon custodian at the high school. Director Edward Andria abstained on the vote.
The board voted to hire the following high school coaching positions for one-year terms: Ken Musko, assistant boys basketball; Jeff Rush, head football; Shawn Chory, head baseball; Terry Grimm, head girls softball; and Joe Thomas, track and field. The board also agreed to name Jeff Ramsey as a volunteer boys assistant basketball coach, Nelson Jones as a volunteer girls assistant basketball coach, and Dan Karpency, John Billinger and Eric Palmer as volunteer wrestling assistant coaches.
The board voted in favor of adding Jacob Magerko, Susan Lehman, Reagan Boyd, Hannah Gearhart, Tasha Lanko and Jennifer Tressler to the professional substitute list and Elaine Byington and Robin Renox to the nonprofessional substitute list as a bus monitor and custodian, respectively.
The board also accepted the resignations of cafeteria employee Shirley Hall and Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps senior instructor Col. Ulysses R. Winn, who has been hired by the Connellsville Area School District to oversee the implementation of its program at the high school.