North Schuylkill hires new superintendent

FOUNTAIN SPRINGS - At a special meeting Monday evening, the North Schuylkill school board hired Andrew D. Smarkanic, of Frackville, as its new superintendent.

"Hot dang. Welcome home, Andy," school board President Robin Hetherington said after members voted unanimously for Smarkanic.

Her comment was met with applause by members of the administration and the public.

Currently, Smarkanic is the assistant superintendent for business affairs at the Blue Mountain School District. He has served in that capacity for the past 17 years.

A Mahanoy Area High School graduate, Smarkanic is a former North Schuylkill teacher. He served as band director from 1980 to 1985 and then as the business manager for the district from 1985 to 1992.

He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Penn State University, where he also completed the necessary requirements for his principal certification and superintendent's letter of eligibility. In 1994, he received his doctorate of education in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University.

Smarkanic thanked the board Monday evening and then read from a prepared statement.

"Life is strange and sometimes you come full circle. This is a great opportunity to come back to North Schuylkill School District. Jan. 1 is the start of a new year. I look at this date as a new beginning for North Schuylkill School District," he said.

He also said he is "very pleased with the personnel that we have. Our staff is second to none. I look forward to working with them very closely. I have much work to do with acquainting myself with not only the staff but the policies and procedures. I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead of me.

"My promise to the North Schuylkill community is that we will work together as a team, a team comprised of the school board, the administration, staff members, toward one common goal. And that goal is to provide the best educational opportunities for all the students of the district so that they will be able to enjoy their own individual successes as they proceed in life."

He also said he hoped to build on the foundation provided by his predecessor, Patrick Lukasavich, who has been serving as interim superintendent since July 2009 following the dismissal of attorney Mark Semanchik as acting superintendent.

Smarkanic was offered a five-year contract with the term ending Dec. 31, 2014. His starting salary was set at $136,000.

Until he takes over Jan. 1, Smarkanic will transition days between the two school districts, according to a press release from the board.

Following the meeting, Hetherington said the board received several applications for the superintendent's post and conducted five interviews.

As to how the board decided on Smarkanic, she said, "The choice was simple, really. As we interviewed the candidates they all brought to the board something new and unique. Dr. Smarkanic not only brought what the other candidates brought but he brought another approach that mirrored what Dr. Lukasavich has been doing. We were extremely impressed with him."

The only public comment was from attorney Lloyd Hampton, a district resident whose wife, Debra, is on the board. He offered his congratulations.

"I know you listen to a bunch of crap, day in and day out, out there but let that go in one ear and out the other because what you people are doing is for the betterment of this district," Hampton said.

Sign up for Text Alerts

Sign up for e-mail newsletters