Citing trust issues, Leechburg Area interim superintendent resigns before starting post

Peter Emery D’Arcangelo resigned as Leechburg Area’s interim superintendent before his first day on the job, leaving it unknown who will lead the school district after next Friday.

Hired in January, D’Arcangelo was supposed to start on Monday.

Instead, the school board will meet Monday evening to decide what to do with the superintendent job.

Outgoing Superintendent Tiffany Nix’s last day is Feb. 9. She will be the new assistant superintendent for the Penn-Trafford School District. She starts that job on Feb. 12.

In a resignation letter, D’Arcangelo cited “an erosion” of trust among himself and school board members.

D’Arcangelo began his letter stating he made the decision to resign after “much thought, consideration and soul searching” and was withdrawing interest in working for the district.

“Initially, I was told that I was the unanimous choice of the school board and excitedly anticipated a vote of 9-0,” D’Arcangelo wrote. “That unanimous vote would have indicated total trust between me, the interim superintendent and search consultant, and the entire board of directors.”

The school board voted 6-3 on Jan. 24 to hire D’Arcangelo as acting superintendent to replace Nix.

At the same time, the board hired D’Arcangelo to also serve as a consultant to aid the district in its search for a new, permanent superintendent.

Board members Darius Lovelace, Candi Stewart and Melanie Knight voted no on both superintendent votes.

All board members were in attendance at the meeting.

“When I read that I was elected by a 6-3 vote for my roles, I felt an erosion of trust in me and my trust in the board,” D’Arcangelo wrote. “Quite frankly, and with all due respect, I was disappointed. I was confident that my experience and expertise would have been beneficial to the school district.”

D’Arcangelo concluded his resignation letter by wishing the district well in their search for a new superintendent.

When hired, D’Arcangelo was to be paid $100 per hour, including travel time to and from his residence, up to $500 per day.

His pay for providing superintendent search services was $100 per hour, not to exceed $10,500.

D’Arcangelo, who is retired, works as a superintendent search consultant. He served as superintendent in the Franklin Regional School District from 2004 through 2015.

Leechburg Area Interim Solicitor Gary Matta confirmed Friday the school board is considering a number of options moving forward regarding the superintendent search but declined to provide additional details.

Stewart and fellow board Andrew Pallus declined to comment on the matter, citing personnel issues. No other school board members responded to requests for comment.

An interim superintendent does not need to have a letter of eligibility and may serve for up to one year, Matta said.

Matta said he planned to place superintendent employment ads in various publications Friday.

The news of D’Arcangelo’s resignation is the latest in a series of board-related events that have resulted in apparent unrest among some in the community and on the board, with well-attended meetings and a sharp increase in comments circulating on Leechburg-area social media groups.