Pausing superintendent search, Bellefonte school board will appoint interim administrator
Pausing a superintendent search, the Bellefonte Area School District board of directors are set to appoint Assistant Superintendent Tammie Burnaford as interim superintendent.
Effective immediately, the district announced Wednesday that Burnaford will assume all responsibilities for the distance learning program the remainder of the 2019-20 school year. After that, she will become interim superintendent. She will replace Superintendent Michelle Saylor, whose retirement is effective July 1.
Burnaford has worked in Bellefonte for more than 17 years, serving as Pleasant Gap Elementary School principal and district assistant superintendent since 2016.
“The board of directors have paused the superintendent search process due to the inability for in-person interviews and community involvement in the decision,” board President Jon Guizar said in a statement. “This change also allows for an appropriate transition to take place now as the planning and decisions for the future are underway.”
Saylor announced her retirement in January. Beginning as assistant superintendent, Saylor has been with the district since August 2012. Her term as superintendent began in 2016, replacing Cheryl Potteniger who left to serve as superintendent of Annville-Cleona School District.
“We appreciate the public’s continued patience and hope that community members will join in welcoming Burnaford into her new role, now and again in July,” Guizar said.
This story was originally published April 29, 2020 at 3:14 PM.
