Julie Hopp

BUTLER TWP — Butler School Board in a special meeting Monday afternoon hired an elementary school administrator from Allegheny County as the district's new director of curriculum, instruction and professional development.

Julie Hopp will be paid a salary of $125,000 per year. She comes from the Chartiers Valley district in Allegheny County, where she was director of elementary education and intermediate school principal and where she formerly worked with Brian White, Butler's current superintendent.

She fills a newly-created position, though the board also voted unanimously to abolish the assistant superintendent for elementary education position. That position had been vacant since Mary Wolf resigned in February. After Wolf's departure, Center Township Elementary School Principal Jeffrey Mathieson was appointed acting elementary coordinator and given a stipend of $1,000 per month.

With the new hire, Brian Slamecka's job title is now changed to assistant superintendent, White said. Formerly the assistant superintendent for secondary education, Slamecka was receiving a stipend of $1,500 per month for assisting with elementary education and maintenance while the district had administrative vacancies.

According to the job description approved by the school board, the director of curriculum “will provide leadership and vision in the ongoing planning, implementation, development, direction, review and evaluation of the district's curriculum and instructional services, federal programs, achievement analysis, research and program evaluation services.”

The position will work with kindergarten through 12th grade.

In an email, Hopp said she was excited about the position.

“I am looking forward to working with the staff, administrative team and new superintendent to develop curriculum and instructional practices that will help support the district's direction for the future,” she said.

Hopp's start date with the district was unknown Monday.

White said that leaving some positions unfilled and making changes to central administration and support personnel have reduced the district's salary expenditures by $106,000 for the 2017-18 school year. About $135,000 per year was budgeted for the second assistant superintendent position, not including benefits, he said.