Welcome to the 2024-2025 School Year
It has been an honor to officially serve as the superintendent of LASD July 1st, 2024. Over the past six months, the district has seen many changes to our leadership team. I want to introduce the new members of my leadership team as we prepare to start a new school year at the end of August.
We have had changes occur at every level, and I will start by sharing them with the district-level team. First, we hired Mr. Gregory Cessna as our new business manager. Greg has a wide range of experience in finance, and I couldn’t be happier for him to join our team. Greg is currently the Controller / Director of Financial Operations at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Greg previously served as a business manager in the Homer-Center School District for seven years and as the business manager at the Indiana County Technical Center. Greg earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from IUP and is a certified public accountant in Pennsylvania. Greg will be starting in the district on August 21st, 2024. Greg replaces Mrs. Teresa Edinger, who recently left the district.
Another new addition to our team is Mr. Eric Barker, who will be serving as our Technology Manager. Mr. Barker holds a Bachelor of Science in Informational Systems from Carnegie Melon University and a master’s in science in Strategic Communications from Indiana University of PA; he previously served as the Chief Technology Officer at Kencove Farm Fence Supplies and as the information technology manager at IUP. As part of our Questeq team, he will oversee the district's technology needs, ensuring a seamless and efficient technological environment for our students and staff.
At the high school, we're thrilled to welcome back Dr. Tyler Vargo to Leechburg Jr./ Sr. High School. His 21 years of educational experience, including nine years as a secondary social studies teacher here at Leechburg, four years as an assistant principal, and eight years as the middle school principal at Knoch School District. Tyler will be a valuable asset to the administrative team at LASD. He is replacing Mr. Rogers, who will teach 6th grade ELA this upcoming year.
Rounding out the changes in our leadership team brings us back to an individual who has been in the district for the past ten years. Mr. Frank Komar, who served as the Director of Special Education over the past three years, will now serve as the Elementary Principal / Director of Special Education. Frank previously taught at Pittsburgh Public Schools and Penn Hills before coming to Leechburg.
As we approach the new school year, the leadership team strives to understand the needs of our stakeholders to support students and parents as much as possible. To accomplish this goal, surveys will be used to learn more about your perspectives of the district's current state and guide us as we move forward. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey below. The link will also be available on our district website
Regards,
Dr. Keibler
