Newcomer resigns from South Fayette School Board
After spending 12 years as a South Fayette School Board member, William Newcomer is resigning April 2 after moving out of the district.
The board accepted Newcomer’s resignation during its March 27 meeting, though it wasn’t announced on the agenda and was instead voted on in public as an executive agenda item along with other personnel matters. The resignation came to light only after a reporter at the meeting asked what items on the list were approved.
It was the second month in a row a South Fayette employee or official has resigned and the board hasn’t explicitly announced the personnel change at the board meeting. Matt Bacco’s resignation as head girls’ basketball coach in February also was not announced until a reporter questioned the personnel move.
“He’ll be sorely missed,” Superintendent Ken Lockette said. “He’s been on the board for a long time and has been very dedicated. He’s been a major part, along with the other board members, in the transformation to what South Fayette has become.”
Newcomer recently moved to Florida with his wife – a move he didn’t expect to make for a couple of years.
“When I ran for re-election last year, at that point, we thought if we moved down there it would be well into my term not at the beginning of it,” Newcomer said in a phone interview after the meeting. “Being on the board was an important part of my life. We had a strong board and we all got along and we did a lot of great things. … I’m very thankful to the community who trusted me enough to elect me four times. I took pride in the fact that the community trusted me enough to do this job.”
Newcomer said he’s proud of the way the school district in his 12-plus years, which included vast growth in enrollment, was able to achieve “excellence in academics, arts and athletic.
“Every year I was on the board we were the fastest growing school district as a percentage in Pennsylvania,” Newcomer said. “To manage that growth and maintain the excellence in all these areas has been a challenge, and I’m proud we were able to maintain that.”
He also said the relationship between the board, the administration and the teachers is a strong point for the district.
“Another thing I’m proud of is our teachers. They’re so dedicated to our students,” he said. “To have that chemistry and to keep it as long as we’ve had, from the teachers to the board to the administration to the staff, makes me proud. You don’t see that everywhere.”
Lockette said the rest of Newcomer’s term, which ends in 2021, will be opened up to the community to apply to fill.
“It will be posted next week on our website out to the community and we’ll send it out through email to the families in our district. There will be time for anyone who wants to apply to do (that).”
Also during the meeting:
- Athletic Director Mark Keener discussed the proposed 2018-19 athletic department budget. The biggest specific increase is a $27,000 increase supplies to buy new uniforms for the tennis, track, cross country and basketball teams.
- Kim Sahady presented the technology budget, and she requested two additional employees – one 10-month employee and one full-time employee.