A week after district officials discussed incorporating a center of innovation into its high school renovation project, the Hempfield Area School Board voted to hire a director for the proposed space.
The board unanimously voted Monday evening to create a Director of Innovation, Strategic Programs and Safety position focused on organizing innovative programs for students and accompanying professional development for staff.
“Mainly (they will be) just looking at ways to incorporate new things in our schools and have them direct and guide that work,” said Superintendent Mark Holtzman.
This could include modern programs that prepare students interested in starting their own business, competing in esports, cyber security, software engineering, robotics and drones, Holtzman said.
More than a year after the district halted a high school renovation that came in over budget, architect Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates laid out visions for the project during a board meeting Oct. 14 — touching on improvement priorities and potential schematic designs.
A two-story addition to the building’s front entrance will be a key component of the renovation. District administration would like to use the space as a center for innovation, Holtzman said.
“One of the things I’m finding out here at Hempfield is we have a ways to go when it comes to innovative strategies,” Holtzman said, approaching his fourth month in the district.
“We have pockets of things, but just creating continuity from kindergarten through 12th grade so that kids who are interested in those areas and items can experience those throughout their entire school (experience),” he said.
High school renovation
Construction for the district’s high school renovation has been on hold since August of 2023, when bids for some of the work revealed the project’s cost had ballooned to almost $150 million — nearly $20 million more than expected. The interior of the high school was proposed to be gutted and renovated over the course of the next three years, leaving most of the exterior intact with some additions.
Core Architects resigned from the project in February, after the district paid more than $2.4 million to the firm for its work.
The district borrowed about $100 million for the renovation project. About $5 million was used for roof replacements and other urgent repairs at the high school, and the remaining funds were invested, Holtzman said.
The interest on the investment has generated about $8 million for the district, he said.
The district later hired architect Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates in April to take over the project — working alongside construction manager SitelogIQ and owner’s rep McKinley Architecture and Engineering.
Holtzman estimates the district will pay Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates around $4 million.
‘Not just technology’ planned for center
The district’s new focus on innovation is not just meant to support the technologically-inclined, Holtzman said. The programs are meant to support students as the workforce evolves, he said — citing how his wife is a nurse who works from home.
“That’s really where education is headed right now — the innovative space,” he said. “Not just technology. Just things that are just traditionally, historically done a certain way and now it’s being asked to be done in a little bit of a nontraditional way.”
Board member Tracy Miller raised a question about the safety component of the director position.
“When I think of safety, I don’t think of somebody who’s going to be doing innovation, strategic programs and technology,” she said.
The director of innovation would take on the role of district safety coordinator, Holtzman said — a position required by the state Department of Education since the covid-19 pandemic. This position is often filled by existing school district staff, he said, meaning it would not require specific safety expertise.
The district aims to advertise the position and start searching for candidates as soon as possible, Holtzman said. A set salary was not named, but it will fall in line with the salaries of other director positions in the district, he said.
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“It’s a unique position, but it’s something I think is extremely necessary,” he said.