N. Lehigh appoints Schnyderite as principal

Northern Lehigh School District has settled on a permanent principal at one of its elementary buildings.

On a unanimous vote, the school board on Monday appointed James Schnyderite as principal of Peters Elementary School, at a salary of $90,000, prorated, for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year.

Superintendent Matthew J. Link told Schnyderite that the district is “very happy” to have him serve “permanently” as principal of Peters.

In August, the board accepted the resignation of Brian Kelly as principal of Peters Elementary School, effective July 18.

The board also at that time appointed Schnyderite — a then-high school music teacher — as the interim principal of Peters at a salary of $52.63 per day, effective July 24, terminating at the end of the first semester, Jan. 21, 2020, or upon hiring a permanent principal.

In a related matter, the board also at that time approved the memorandum of understanding of the Northern Lehigh Education Association Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The language clarified the role of an interim principal.

Schnyderite, of Nazareth, had served the past two years as a secondary music teacher in the school district.

He obtained his principal certification, and also completed his internship at Northern Lehigh.

Overall, Schnyderite has 19 years in education, 18 of which have been as a teacher, having previously served as a music teacher in New Jersey.

Link said at that time the administrative team and school board thought Schnyderite was the best candidate to fill the position with such a short amount of time left before the start of the new school year.

Kelly, of Moscow, was appointed as principal at Peters in May at a salary of $97,000, prorated for the remainder of the 2018-19 school year, on or about June 24.

A Lackawanna County administrator at the time he was hired, Kelly most recently served as principal, Pre-K through sixth grade, at Forest City Regional Elementary School since July 2016.

Link said after that meeting that Kelly resigned because he decided to make some changes he thought were best for his family.

After the meeting, Link explained Kelly’s decision to resign.

Former Peters Principal Paul Leonzi retired June 30 from the district after 35 years of service.

Leonzi began his tenure in the district as a teacher in 1984.

In June 2015, the board approved the administrative transfer of Leonzi from acting principal to principal, at a salary of $92,721.

Leonzi was named acting assistant principal at Peters in December 2013. He became acting principal in July 2014.

He was initially appointed acting assistant principal, and then acting principal, after former school Principal Paul Rearden began to experience health-related issues.