Hiring a new superintendent from within proved to be the best move for the North Allegheny School District.
Assistant Superintendent David Deramo was unanimously voted into the position at the March 11 school board meeting.
That was the sentiment by board members, who also approved the retirement of Superintendent Brendan Hyland.
Hyland’s last day will be June 30, and Deramo will officially take the helm July 1.
“The board is keenly aware of his work during his seven years as an administrator in North Allegheny, and we believe that he will carry the torch and continue to lead our district forward,” said board President Elizabeth Warner, reading a statement from the entire board.
Deramo was hired for a five-year term, effective July 1 until June 30, 2031, at an initial annual salary of $225,000. Warner said it will increase another $5,000 after he obtains his doctorate, which could be as early as this summer.
Warner said the board received questions from the community on whether the district should open up an external search for candidates. While that would have been an option, it was not the best route.
“Could we have done a search and found a candidate with more superintendent experience? Absolutely. But could we have found a candidate more in tune with the current state of North Allegheny and more knowledgeable of our strategic plan, our goals and how to accomplish them? No. No candidate could have that background more to the degree that Mr. Deramo does,” she said.
Warner also noted it could take a year for a new superintendent to get them “up to speed,” as this is a critical year for North Allegheny with renovations on three elementary schools and new construction at the intermediate high school.
This decision provides the “stability of an internal hire,” she said.
Deramo has been with North Allegheny for more than seven years, first serving as principal of Ingomar Middle School from 2018 to April 2024 before transitioning to assistant superintendent.
Prior to North Allegheny, he was an assistant superintendent for nine years in the South Fayette School District, after serving as a principal at the intermediate and then the middle school there. Before South Fayette, he spent four years with the West Mifflin Area School District as a principal.
Deramo is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh.
North Allegheny has gone through a series of superintendents over the past decade, including Robert Scherrer, who served in the position from 2016-20 and Melissa Friez from 2021-23.
“Since I started attending board meetings in 2012, this district has suffered through years of turmoil and initiative fatigue,” said Warner, who has been on the board for six years. Over this period, Deramo will be the fourth superintendent, not counting two interims.
“The consistency he will provide is incredibly important to me,” she said.
School director Libby Blackburn, who also has been serving on the board since 2011, said Deramo is well received.
“He really has been great. You always hear complaints at our levels. Never have I heard anyone complaining. He is so student-centered and really focused on all people, but especially student-centered,” Blackburn said.
While the board plans to offer a more expansive tribute to Hyland’s impact during his final meeting in June, it noted his success at making the district safer, including implementing the North Allegheny Police Department his first year.
Members also lauded Hyland for establishing the strategic and comprehensive plan, which includes a data-driven and action-based balanced scorecard that requires transparency and accountability by teachers and the administration.
Deramo, a 1993 graduate of West Mifflin Area High School, and his wife, Barb, have three daughters — Sage, 21, a junior at Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina; Mia, 18, a senior at South Fayette High School with plans to play soccer Youngstown State next year; and Brooklyn, 16, a student at South Fayette.
Rounding out the family are two dogs: Franco, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, and Maizee, a French bulldog.
“I enjoy spending time with family and friends, traveling and regularly attending and supporting my daughters in their activities and event,” Deramo said.
During the school board meeting, Deramo expressed his gratitude to his fellow administrators — and particularly to Hyland.
“Every success that I ever had to accomplish has never been done by myself. It has always been a collective effort of the team,” Deramo said.
He recalled when Hyland first started and visited each school’s principal asking what was being done well and also what needed to improve.
“Those are difficult conversations in an organization and an institute that are already celebrated and have a lot of success and tradition. But you pushed us. Because if we are truly going to seek excellence, we have to be honest with ourselves,” Deramo said.
Deramo said he will “continue to focus on growth and will continue to move us forward, with the main interest of always keeping the kids the forefront of our decision-making.”
“It’s an honor to continue that legacy moving forward as a representative of entire team and as a member of that team. I’m excited to do that,” he said.
In addition to complimenting teachers and support staff, Deramo asked staff members and the administrative team to “keep pushing me” and “demand that same excellence of that Dr. Hyland demanded of us to keep us moving forward.”