Titles changed after two top administrators departed in late 2025
The start of 2026 has brought one new administrator and a new title for another to the North Penn School District.
Board members unanimously approved the hiring of Dennis Williams as the district’s Director of Secondary Education last week, and approved two title changes for other administrators meant to fill two posts left vacant at the end of 2025.
“They are not new positions: they are actually old names to long-existing positions,” said Superintendent Todd Bauer.
In November the then-school board approved the resignation of then-Administrator for Secondary Education and Renovations Pete Nicholson, who had worked in the district since 2013 as an assistant high school principal, as principal of North Penn High School starting in 2018, then as administrator overseeing the long-discussed renovations to that school starting in summer 2022. In October the board had similarly approved the departure of district Chief Academic Officer Michael McKenna effective in February, with no public talks on how to fill either position.
The board’s Jan. 22 meeting brought some answers: Williams will take over as Director of Secondary Education for Nicholson’s role, at a listed salary of just over $198,000 per year prorated. A biography provided by the district says Williams has served as the principal of Hatboro-Horsham High School since 2005 and previously worked as a social studies teacher.
Taking over what had been McKenna’s position with a new title of “Director of Elementary Education” will be Pamula Hart, who was hired by the district in 2021 as Director of Curriculum and Equity, and had previously worked as an elementary school principal in Jenkintown, Lower Merion and Cheltenham. A third personnel move was also approved at the same time: Michael Arney, previously listed as the “Supervisor of Curriculum & Instruction – Elementary,” will take over as “Interim Director of Curriculum” with an effective date of Jan. 26 through April 10, according to the district’s personnel items.
The board also unanimously adopted a motion changing the Act 93 administrator plan to establish a new position group containing the positions of director of elementary and director of secondary education and remove what had been McKenna and Nicholson’s titles of chief academic officer and administrator for secondary and renovations, and setting the salaries for those posts. Board member Tim MacBain said that update was meant to “right-size some of the positions that we have here.”
Resident Jason Lanier asked if the change in titles, for Hart in particular, reflected any rollback in the district’s equity and diversity initiatives and goals.
“I see the ‘equity’ is dropping out of her title. And I thought ‘hey, all this ‘education equity’ that I’ve been up here ranting about, saying that it’s been more detrimental than beneficial, you guys took notice?” he said.
Board member Christine Coyne asked for the superintendent to explain what would happen with the Director of Curriculum and Equity post that had been held by Hart: “That position isn’t going away, it’s still part of the district’s mission.”
Bauer answered that the exact responsibilities will be clarified once the third position is filled.
“Our work, and our commitment to all students, and addressing any disproportionality, whether it be in behavior, in attendance, in over- or under-identification, in performance, in discipline, our commitment to that work is sustained, and it’s a tenet and core value of what we do in serving all children,” he said.
“Where that leadership for that work will come from: I’d like to think it comes from Dr. Waters and I, right from the top, but I expect it will come from our new directors, and our director of curriculum, which is currently posted (for applicants) — the position vacated by Dr. Hart. Once we have a full roster or lineup, then we will allocate the responsibilities accordingly,” Bauer said.
North Penn’s school board next meets at 7 p.m. on Feb. 19 at the district Educational Services Center, 401 E. Hancock St.; for more information visit www.NPenn.org.
This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between North Penn Now and The Reporter. To read more stories like this, visit https://www.thereporteronline.com.
