Gildea moving on from HASD
Hollidaysburg fixture unanimously approved to lead Lower Dauphin School District
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After more than three decades in the Hollidaysburg Area School District, Superintendent Robert Gildea is moving on to new surroundings.
The Lower Dauphin School Board unanimously voted to approve Gildea as the district's new superintendent Monday night. His appointment is the result of a nearly six-month search after the previous superintendent stepped down following claims of racism and discrimination within the district.
Gildea's new contract is for five years, starting at a salary of $190,000.
According to Hollidaysburg Area School Board President Ronald Sommer, the board has 90 days to release Gildea, and if there is no permanent candidate chosen by Nov. 27, the end of those 90 days, the board will need to appoint an interim superintendent until a replacement is chosen.
Gildea started his career in the HASD in 1990 as an elementary school teacher, before he was promoted to principal of Foot of Ten Elementary. He was then the principal of the Hollidaysburg Area Cyber Academy and the athletic director for one year before he was named superintendent in 2013.
Sommer said that Lower Dauphin is getting a great leader and a great person in Gildea and that he wishes nothing but the best for the new partnership. Sommer did acknowledge that Gildea will be missed at Hollidaysburg and that the board is going to have its work cut out for it in finding a new superintendent.
"We just have to find a good person to replace him and to keep moving the district forward," Sommer said.
Sommer said there is currently no plan in place to begin the process of searching for Gildea's successor and the board will discuss next steps in its coming meetings. The board could hire a consultant to advise it during the search or appoint a committee to go through applicants and interviews.
"Your guess would be as good as mine right now as to how we're going to proceed," Sommer said.
Lower Dauphin School Board President Lynn Sassaman said at Monday's meeting that Gildea was the candidate who stood out among the nine initial interviews and then the four finalists. There were 19 total applicants for the position, but only nine were selected for the first round of interviews. She said Gildea matched the board's vision and the collective opinions of 355 surveys from parents, community members and school staff.
In a statement to the Hollidaysburg district, Gildea said he was filled with "mixed emotions" following the vote, expressing his eagerness to take on a new challenge in his career while also feeling sad to leave the community he had known all his life.
"Nothing has given me more pride than to see our former students living within our community, raising their young families and continuing their professional journeys as nurses, tradesmen, teachers, bankers, business owners, youth coaches and community leaders," Gildea said.
"The future of the Hollidaysburg area community is bright, and just as I was able to give back to the community that provided me with a solid foundation upon which to build my life, our graduates are using the quality education they were provided to make their impact on the community in a positive way."
The Hollidaysburg and Lower Dauphin school districts are similar in size, according to their respective websites.
Hollidaysburg Area encompasses 120 square miles and includes the boroughs of Hollidaysburg, Duncansville and Newry and the townships of Allegheny, Blair, Frankstown and Juniata. The district has a stable population of about 26,500 residents.
The Lower Dauphin School District is made up of five municipalities -- Hummelstown Borough, and the townships of Conewago, East Hanover, Londonderry and South Hanover. Lower Dauphin covers close to 90 square miles, is home to 25,623 residents and includes the area around the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station, according to the district website.
About 3,500 students attend school in the Lower Dauphin School District, which is home to five K-5 neighborhood elementary schools, a middle school (grades 6-8), and a high school (grades 9-12). There is an elementary school building in each of the district's four townships. Hummelstown Borough is home to the fifth elementary building, as well as the middle school, high school and the district administration center.
Roughly 3,200 students attend the Hollidaysburg Area School District in grades K-12. There are three K-6 elementary buildings: Charles W. Longer Elementary, Frankstown Elementary and Foot of Ten Elementary. The Hollidaysburg Area Junior High School serves students in grades 7-9, and the senior high school serves grades 10-12.
Hollidaysburg Area employs about 480 people, including 260 teachers, 22 administrative/supervisory staff and 195 support staff.
Nearly 500 people are employed by the Lower Dauphin district, including more than 300 educational professionals and 190 support staff.
For the 2023-24 school year, Lower Dauphin has a more than $77.2 million budget, while Hollidaysburg Area's budget is about $65.3 million.
Mirror Staff Writer Nate Powles is at 814-946-7466.