Mars leader post narrowed to 1
ADAMS TWP — The new superintendent for the Mars School District is expected to be approved by the school board Tuesday evening.
Board President Dayle Ferguson said Friday afternoon that Wesley W. Shipley is the final candidate in the district's superintendent search, which has been ongoing since Jim Budzilek left in October.
Shipley is the superintendent of the Shaler School District in Allegheny County.
Retired Mars Superintendent William Pettigrew has been serving as the interim superintendent until the new one is hired.
The school board will vote on Shipley's hire at its 7 p.m. Tuesday meeting, which will be in the administration office adjacent to the primary center.
Ferguson said Shipley has 25 years of public education experience, including four years as the superintendent of the Shaler district.
He had been an assistant superintendent at Shaler before being promoted, and he was a program director and elementary principal in the Freeport School District.
Shipley also was an assistant middle school principal in the Burrell School District, and was an elementary teacher in the Deer Lakes School District.
Ferguson said in a letter, “He is an innovative leader who is passionate about the mission of public education. He is committed to student achievement through relevant curriculum, rigorous instructional practice, continuous professional growth, and purposeful technology integration.”
She also called Shipley a straightforward, common sense, well-rounded administrator with a reputation as a decisive leader and communicator.
Shipley earned his doctorate in educational leadership at Duquesne University. He has a master's degree in education from Youngstown State University, and a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Indiana (Pa.) University.
He is active in the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators and the Western Pennsylvania Forum for School Superintendents.
