Administrative shuffling continues in Lehighton Area School District with the approved retirement of Tim Tkach, assistant to the superintendent, on Monday and the promotion of high school Principal Suzanne Howland to assistant superintendent.

Tkach, who spent 24 years with the district, is retiring at the end of 2021, while Howland will start in her new position on Dec. 1. She will also stay on as high school principal through graduation in 2022.

“I believe the students come first and I will always work toward that goal while understanding the needs of the district must be balanced with the input from our community,” Howland said. “I eagerly accept the position and look forward to working with Mr. (Jonathan) Cleaver, the school board and the community to help make our district a safe, nurturing educational environment that teaches our students how to think, not what to think.”

Howland’s contract, which runs through June 30, 2025, calls for her to make $115,000 (prorated from Dec. 1) for the 2021-22 school year, $117,588 in 2022-23, $120,233 in 2023-24 and $122,938 in 2024-25.

The contract will automatically renew for one year at the end of the four-year term, unless 365 days written notice is given.

Superintendent Jonathan Cleaver said Howland, a 1991 Lehighton graduate, was an ideal candidate for the job.

“It’s not often you have someone coming in to a K-12 job that has experience at all of those levels,” Cleaver said. “Sue’s resume alone and her history here at Lehighton speaks volumes. I often go to her for advice on certain things and we’re very fortunate to have her in our district.”

According to the job description, Howland will “collaboratively work with the district, building administrators and teachers to implement the district vision, mission, and goals; promote a culture for teaching and learning; manage fiscal and human resources to maximize impact on student achievement; foster relationships with staff, parents and community; and model professional integrity.”

She is responsible for directing curriculum activities of the district including development, implementation, evaluation and re-evaluation of the K-12 instructional program, including federal programs.

Howland has been high school principal since August 2017. Before that, she was an elementary principal for over five years, an elementary instructional support teacher and response to intervention specialist for nine years and a middle school emotional support teacher for two years. All of that experience came at Lehighton.

“I chose to come back because I knew I wanted to work in our school district, knew I could make a difference, and knew I could help make our school community a better place,” Howland said. “This is a great honor that will not be taken lightly.”

Tkach, meanwhile, called his retirement a bittersweet moment, saying he planned to spend more time with his five grandchildren.

“The decision weighs heavy for sure,” Tkach said. “It’s been such a privilege working with the staff, students, parents and community. It’s really a family here in Lehighton and it’ll be tough to leave, but I’ll still be around.”

During his time in the district, Tkach was instrumental in getting the Lehighton Education and Athletic Foundation off the ground. LEAF raises funds that go toward competitive teacher grants, scholarships and educational and extracurricular programs, among other things.

“The amount of money that LEAF has raised and given back to this district and community is incredible,” Cleaver said. “Tim is really the wheel that keeps everything going and we’ll miss him greatly.”

All of Lehighton’s administrative changes will save the district around $80,000, according to Cleaver.

Last month, Lehighton promoted from within for two new administrative positions.

Melissa Volcskai was hired as director of instructional technology integration and curricular innovation at a salary of $88,000, while Rebecca Karpowicz was named business affairs/human resources coordinator at a salary of $48,000.

Volcskai was previously principal for grades 3-5 at Lehighton’s elementary center and Karpowicz was the confidential secretary to the assistant to the superintendent.

Mark McGalla, who was the middle school principal, will be moving into the grades 3-5 principal position at the elementary center.

Stephen Ebbert was promoted from middle school dean of students to middle school principal Monday night at a salary of $88,000.

“He’s a familiar face at the middle school and we know he’ll do well there,” Cleaver said. “Mr. Ebbert has been very involved in developing our building safety plans. He’s also been key with our Safe2Say program, often taking calls at 2 or 3 in the morning to help a student in crisis. That’s just one example of the type of leader he is.”