Butler board hires school chief
BUTLER TWP — The Butler School Board Wednesday night voted to hire Brian White as its next superintendent.
The board approved a five-year contract with White, who is set to take over the job from acting superintendent William Pettigrew in September, or possibly earlier.
White, 43, has been the superintendent of Chartiers Valley School District since 2010.
“It's clear to me this is a special community and I'm looking forward to learning more about your hopes and aspirations for the students and the schools,” White said in a district news release.
His starting salary will be $182,000 and the contract includes a 2 percent increase each year.
White started his education career as a teacher, activities director and band and orchestra director at Brashear High School in Pittsburgh. Before getting hired at Chartiers Valley, he worked as an assistant principal, middle/high school principal and assistant superintendent in the Beaver School District.
Chartiers Valley covers 18 square miles in an area to the southwest of Pittsburgh.
White and his wife, Danielle, were at the meeting Wednesday night to introduce themselves to the community and thank the board.
“It's a tremendous honor to stand before you,” he said.
They live in Ohio Township, Allegheny County, and have three sons.
“The board is excited to bring Dr. White on board, as his professional background, along with a deep understanding of many aspects of school district operations, makes him an excellent fit for the staff and students of Butler,” Nina Teff, school board president, said in the release.
Board member Al Vavro also made a statement, saying that he believes White is the right candidate to tackle the challenges that the district faces.
“In my opinion we have identified such a visionary leader,” he said.
Though a vote to hire White was unanimous, board members Bill Halle and Neil Convery voted against a separate motion accepting the terms of his contract.
Halle said that he agrees that White was qualified for the position, but that the district needs to limit spending.“This is not wise stewardship of tax dollars, especially when knowing and agreeing there were other highly qualified and experienced candidates who were willing and available to accept the position for less,” he said.Board member Leland Clark said that he agreed that the salary was more than the district should be able to afford, but said that the district needs a strong leader.“We won't get to the Super Bowl with Landry Jones at quarterback. We need somebody like Ben Roethlisberger,” he said.The hiring concludes a search process that the board started several months ago.The school board, after considering multiple proposals, in March hired Templeton Advantage, a consultant whose job was to seek candidates and assist in the search process. The contract was estimated to cost about $14,000.The district got more than 20 applicants and interviewed 11, Teff said.Board members spoke highly of consultant Tom Templeton, who recruited White and attracted candidates from as far away as Florida.“He was very professional and very thorough,” Convery said.Pettigrew, who retired from the Mars School District after 26 years as superintendent, has been filling in since Feb. 5 when the school board met in executive session and accepted the resignation and retirement of Dr. Dale Lumley.Lumley and other district administrators were subsequently investigated for their roles in the district's untimely response to water test results last year that showed high concentrations of lead and copper at Summit Township Elementary School.A criminal investigation into Lumley was still ongoing as of this week, Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger confirmed.The district still has two vacancies in key administrative positions. The director of business services position has been vacant since May when Debbie Brandstetter left to take a position with another district.The district also did not replace Mary Wolf, former assistant superintendent of elementary education, who resigned. Center Township Elementary School Principal Jeff Mathieson has been filling in as elementary coordinator.Pettigrew said he will be discussing the future of that position with White as they transition.
