Kiski Area’s school directors didn’t look far to find their choice as the best qualified person to be superintendent.

That turned out to be Assistant Superintendent Jason Lohr, who they unanimously voted to succeed Misty Slavic.

Board President Todd Sterlitz said after the news about Slavic’s sudden resignation broke in mid-March, he was inundated with calls from search agencies offering to find qualified candidates for thousands of dollars in fees.

“I was terrified,” Sterlitz said of the prospect of choosing a new superintendent.

But that feeling was short-lived.

“I think I and the rest of the board realized we had the best candidate right here in Kiski,” Sterlitz said. He said the board didn’t consider looking beyond the district.

“We would have if we needed to, but we had the best candidate here.”

Lohr, 48, was hired on a five-year contract at a salary of $173,000 per year. His contract ends June 30, 2028.

A Greensburg resident and a 1994 Hempfield High graduate, Lohr has been employed as a Kiski Area educator since 2000. He was hired first as a social studies teacher and was in the classroom for nine years before steadily moving up in the district’s hierarchy. He was named assistant to the superintendent in 2016 and then assistant superintendent in 2020.

He is the first Kiski Area superintendent to be promoted from within the district since John Meighan, a district administrator for 12 years who was named superintendent in 2003 and served until 2015.

After the vote to hire him, Lohr recalled for the board and the audience not knowing anyone at Kiski and being “just a 24-year-old kid” with much to learn when he started.

“I had a lot of people to help and support me,” he said, “and I hope I can give some of that back.”

When asked what he is most excited about in becoming superintendent, he replied, “Honestly, it’s leading the people that I’ve worked with for 24 years. I can’t say enough about the staff here.”

Lohr said the biggest challenge facing the district is the planned multi-million dollar renovation project centered on the high school. He knows there will be more ahead but expressed confidence in tackling them because of the district’s staff, which he called “the best team in the county, the best team in the state.”

“There’s going to be challenges for sure, but there is piece of mind in having a solid structure in place,” he said.

Patrick Leyland of Allegheny Township, the only resident to speak at the meeting, congratulated Lohr. He recounted how Lohr, after graduating from Toccoa Falls College in Georgia, was hired for a position in a West Virginia district when Kiski Area called last-minute to offer a long-term substitute’s position.

Leyland said Lohr declined the offer rather than leave the West Virginia district high and dry. He said Lohr “took a chance” that a position at Kiski Area might be open in the future and in doing so also demonstrated the kind of character he has.

Motioning toward all the administrators in the audience, Leyland said, “I think your team being here speaks volumes of you and your commitment to Kiski.”

After the meeting, Lohr reminisced about the story Leyland told about initially turning Kiski down.

“I hung up the phone and told my wife, Sharon, ‘They’re never calling me again,’ ” Lohr said smiling. “But, they did.”