Superintendent Search

South Middleton Names New Superintendent
Matthew Strine to Lead the District

BOILING SPRINGS, PA. March 27, 2018 – The South Middleton Board of School Directors has appointed Matthew Strine, Ed.D. as the district’s next superintendent. Dr. Strine will begin leading the district on July 1, 2018.

Dr. Strine currently serves as the Superintendent of the Tuscarora Area School District in Mercersburg, PA, a position he has held since 2017. Before that, Dr. Strine served for four years as the Assistant Superintendent in the Shippensburg Area School District. He also spent three years as a Principal and Supervisor of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment in the East Pennsboro School District. Dr. Strine began his administrative career as an Assistant Principal in the Waynesboro Area School District. His teaching career included stops in the school districts of Big Spring, West Shore and Shippensburg.

“The Board is thrilled to bring Dr. Strine into the district,” Board President Randy Varner, Esq., said. “With his deep knowledge of education, a demonstrated passion for leadership, and a student-centered approach to decision making, we believe Dr. Strine is an excellent fit for the entire school community of South Middleton. As a former resident of our district, Dr. Strine understands that this community takes great pride in its schools, teachers and students. The Board is confident that it has found an exceptional professional to lead our great school district,” Varner added. “We are most excited that our students will have the opportunity to thrive in an environment led by such a talented and passionate educator,” Varner concluded.

Dr. Strine received his bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a middle level mathematics certification from the University of Delaware; a master’s degree, principal’s certification and superintendent’s letter of eligibility from Shippensburg University; and a doctorate in educational leadership from Widener University. “I am excited to get started at South Middleton. I have really enjoyed the entire process, and look forward to working closely with the administrators, teachers, staff, board members and the community as we create a compelling future for the students of the district,” Strine said. “I have had many tremendous experiences in education, and I am deeply grateful for the people in Tuscarora who have entrusted me to serve as their superintendent,” Strine added.

“We also want to express our deepest appreciation to Mr. Bruce Deveney for serving as our acting superintendent over the past several months. From the moment he joined, we knew we were in tremendously capable hands, which gave us the ability to conduct this search in a deliberate, thorough, and thoughtful manner. Through the outstanding work of our consultant, Tom Templeton, we saw a number of highly-accomplished educational leaders as part of this process and were very grateful for their interest in South Middleton,” Varner said.

The next step will be for the Board and Dr. Strine to continue working on a comprehensive entry plan, superintendent evaluation process, and other strategic governance procedures to create the conditions for a successful future for South Middleton.
SOUTH MIDDLETON SCHOOL DISTRICT

NOTICE - SPECIAL MEETING

On Tuesday, March 27, 2018, the Board of School Directors of South Middleton School District will hold a Special Meeting beginning at 7:00 p.m. for the purpose of appointing a Superintendent of Schools and any other business that may become before the Board.

The special meeting will be held in the Board Room, located in the Administrative Offices of Iron Forge Elementary School at 4 Academy Street, Suite 100, Boiling Springs, PA.

The Facilities Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 27, 2018, beginning at 7:00 p.m. is cancelled.

Matthew I. Ulmer
Board Secretary
Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Dear South Middleton School District Community Members:

The search for our next superintendent continues to move forward. The Board of School Directors wishes to thank all the administrators, support staff, faculty and community members who participated in the focus group discussions on January 29th. Our consultant provided the search committee with an overview of the comments, discussions and feedback received, which has proven to be quite helpful in guiding our approach to the next phases of the search. We also anticipate using the information from those focus group discussions to formulate goals and objectives for the next superintendent as part of the performance evaluation process that we will be developing.

Looking forward on the search timeline, the Board expects to use the month of February to conduct first round interviews with selected candidates. As we approach the end of February and move into March, the Board will plan and conduct additional rounds of interviews, as needed.

We will keep stakeholders informed as we move through the selection process.

Sincerely,
The Board of School Directors of South Middleton School District
Monday, December 11, 2017

Dear Community Members:

The Board of School Directors has reopened the search for the next superintendent of the South Middleton School District. We have once again reviewed the job posting and begun to layout the timeline for the process. Promotional efforts are underway as well. We are now beginning to coordinate efforts (date, times and location) to invite internal and external stakeholders to participate in focus group conversations designed to discuss the present ‘state of the district’ and the future of the organization. Those meetings will be promoted in the near future. While the ultimate decision related to the appointment of the next superintendent rests with the Board of School Directors, please know that our stakeholders will have an appropriate voice in the process -- and the issues raised by staff, students, parents and community members will be taken under appropriate advisement as we review credentials, interview candidates, and ultimately make our final selection. More details will be coming soon, so continue to visit this section of the website for details related to the search!

South Middleton Board of School Directors
SMSD Logo
South Middleton School District
Superintendent Search Update

Friday, November 10, 2017

Dear SMSD Parents, Students, Staff and Community:

The South Middleton Board of School Directors will be reopening its search for a new superintendent.

The Board undertook an expedited search in July and had hoped to announce its selection in early November. However, the Board was unable to reach an agreement with a candidate and will be expanding its search.

Our search will be similar in scope and timing to a more traditional search. The Board anticipates expanding the advertising of the position and using a process that will include a thorough evaluation of candidates.

We look forward to bringing an outstanding educational leader to South Middleton who will best serve the interests of our students and staff. Selecting a superintendent is one of the most important decisions the Board will make; we will take the time necessary to select the best candidate.

During our search, Mr. Bruce Deveney will continue to serve as our Acting Superintendent.

A special section will be set up on the school district website to keep you updated on the progress of our search.

Sincerely,

The South Middleton Board of School Directors