South Fayette begins search for new superintendent
The same consultant who helped to hire Bille Rondinelli as South Fayette school superintendent in 2009 will be working to find her replacement.
Tom Templeton, of Templeton Advantage, will be working with the school board to replace Rondinelli, who announced in late June her pending retirement in December.
“Well, they’re looking for someone who is certainly a very accomplished educational leader,” said Templeton, whose company is based in Harrisburg. “Somebody who understands the culture of an organization like South Fayette that is really committed to excellence in everything it does. Someone who has the ability to truly engage the community and to partner with organizations throughout the region and even nationally in order to pull the best possible resources into South Fayette.”
Templeton, who has spent the last 14 years as a consultant for Pennsylvania school districts, said the search for a new superintendent will be a competitive process and will not be limited to Pennsylvania applicants.
Templeton visited South Fayette two weeks ago to meet with several groups from the school district, as well as holding sessions for any students or residents to meet with him.
While Templeton said these processes typically take three or four months, no deadline has been set.
School board President Leonard Fornella said it would be ideal to have the process finished in late October, but that it’s possible for it to extend later in the fall and into the winter.
Fornella did note that if Rondinelli’s replacement comes from another Pennsylvania school district, they could be held for up to 60 days by that school district. This fact, Fornella said, is one of the reasons why the board would like to have a replacement sooner rather than later; however, the board doesn’t feel compelled to rush the process.
“We don’t expect Rondinelli to give us a date where she’s leaving no matter what, but we don’t want her to have to stay longer than she wants,” Fornella said.
Furthermore, ensuring the replacement has enough time to transition in his or her new role is something the board is considering, Fornella said.
“We want to have a smooth transition,” Fornella said.
Until then, the position will remain open for applications through the end of the month, Templeton said. Then Templeton and the board will begin interviewing for the position.