Some North Allegheny school board members express concerns over hiring of new Superintendent Brendan Hyland

The more that North Allegheny residents get to know Dr. Brendan Hyland, NA’s new school superintendent, “the more they will like him,” said school board Vice President Marcie Crow.

The NA school board, voting 6-3 on June 12, selected Hyland, the superintendent of the Plum School District and a former principal of North Allegheny Intermediate High School, as North Allegheny’s new school superintendent effective July 1.

“His credentials speak for themselves,” said Crow. “He blew everyone else out of the water.”

Hyland’s hiring came about six weeks after former NA superintendent Dr. Melissa Friez announced her resignation in May. Some NA board members described the job search as rushed.

School board Director Paige Hardy, one of three board members who voted not to hire Hyland, called the search process “extremely abbreviated.”

Of eight candidates brought in for first-round interviews, only Hyland was brought in for the second-round.

Board President Libby Blackburn insisted that the search had been comprehensive and was directed by the search firm BR2, resulting in 31 applicants. Eight candidates were interviewed over a three-day period. Hyland’s second-round interview included questions about his past, present and future.

Several in-person meetings and one virtual focus group meeting were conducted in May to solicit feedback from the community.

School Board Director Richard McClure said common threads among focus groups were to have a superintendent who is “experienced and courageous,” “confident, honest and trustworthy,” and has knowledge of the region and district.

“Dr. Hyland provided the single most thorough application and followed that with excellent interviews,” said McClure, who has participated in three NA superintendent searches and said Hyland “stands above all.”

Hardy was joined by board members Leslie Britton Dozier and Elizabeth Warner in voting against Hyland’s appointment.

“The hiring process frustrated me,” said Warner, who added that job interview procedures for teachers and administrators “are far more rigorous.”

Britton Dozier said she had “reservations” and “concerns” after the interviews, but would work with him.

Sarah Boyle, a McCandless resident, told the school board during public comments before the vote to hire Hyland that he could be a good candidate, but the process went too fast to know.

For others, a concern lingers from Hyland’s 11-year tenure as principal of NAI.

McCandless resident Melinda Wedde expressed concerns that Hyland had been mentioned in federal lawsuit that alleged he had not done enough to address bullying and sexual harassment of a sophomore girl at NAI while he was principal there.

Hyland was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit filed against North Allegheny. Most of the allegations in the lawsuit were dismissed in 2016; one was settled out of court through the district’s insurance company.

“I feel the superintendent search was rushed,” Wedde said. “I’m asking the board to table this vote and allow further comments, introspection, and hold the line as (was) posted on the job description” as to the search timeline. She said the timeline suggested that candidates would be interviewed all through June.

Hyland had been hired as superintendent at Plum in 2018, a year after three teachers were convicted for having sex with students and the district paid financial settlements to its high school principal and superintendent whose resignations were connected to the scandal.

“He came in after the dark days of Plum. He brought pride back to this borough and to this school district. He really changed the outside view of how people see Plum,” said Michael Devine, president of the Plum School Board, which accepted Hyland’s resignation on June 13.

Some members of the NA board noted that Hyland made great strides in accountability, education and restoring confidence at Plum.

The NA board approved a five-year contract for Hyland, with a starting salary of $240,000.

In a letter to the NA community, Hyland stated the was honored by his appointment and the opportunity “to come back “home” to North Allegheny and work again with some of the most incredible professionals I have ever met was a career-defining opportunity I would not miss.”

“Once I get my feet on the ground at NA, I will communicate with you about opportunities to get reacquainted and listen to your thoughts and ideas about moving our district forward. Please trust that I believe it is an absolute privilege to lead the school district that I have always cherished, and the challenge of taking NA to unprecedented heights will be one of the proudest accomplishments of my career,” he wrote.

Hyland graduated from University of Pittsburgh in 1991 with bachelor’s degree in education with an emphasis on political science, according to a biography from the Plum School District. He earned a master’s degree and principal’s certification in administration and policy studies from the University of Pittsburgh.

He taught seventh grade at Page Middle School in Gloucester County School District in southeastern Virginia. Hyland began teaching in 1993 at the Mt. Lebanon School District for more than 10 years. He also served as an assistant girl’s varsity basketball coach and a ninth-grade head and assistant football coach there.

He became assistant principal at Mt. Lebanon High School in 2001 and then was hired as principal at NAI. He received his doctorate from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

NA resident Alice Beckett Rumberger said he seemed highly qualified and trusted the board’s vetting process.

“There are concerns that we should be mindful of, but our school district needs to move forward,” she said.

Board Member Mike Weniger challenged Hyland to focus on physical safety, emotional support, improve academic ranking and improve on NA’s “outstanding athletics and art.”

“Make this district the number one district in the county, the state and, hopefully, the country,” Weniger said.