Incoming Saucon Valley High School principal Tamara Gary addresses the Saucon Valley School Board, after the board unanimously approved hiring her to replace Beth Guarriello Tuesday.
The Saucon Valley School Board Tuesday unanimously approved the hiring of a new high school principal.
Tamara Gary is currently the principal at Bangor Area High School. She will replace Beth Guarriello, who is leaving Saucon Valley after a little less than a year to become the principal at Southern Lehigh High School. Her departure was lamented by a number of teachers and parent Jennifer Altemose–who criticized the board for Guarriello’s alleged treatment–after Guarriello announced her resignation in the spring.
According to a March 2013 article published by LehighValleyLive.com, Gary became the principal of Bangor Area High School in April 2013.
Prior to that she was employed as an assistant principal there, as an assistant principal at Freedom High School in the Bethlehem Area School District and as director of curriculum and educational technology in the Nazareth Area School District, the article states.
“I’m very excited to become part of the Saucon Valley family,” Gary said at the board meeting. “I’m looking forward to working with everyone.”
Gary’s hiring is effective Aug. 26, 2018 or earlier, and her annual salary will be $125,000, which will be prorated this year.
“Ms. Gary, I just wanted to again thank you for your professionalism throughout the selection process,” superintendent Dr. Craig Butler said to her. “I’m very excited to work with you.”
“We think we’re getting a tremendous leader,” he said, adding that Gary had received endorsement from “the vast majority of the faculty.”
“You don’t need to be nervous, because you already have a lot of support here,” he told her.
To watch Tuesday’s school board meeting on YouTube, click here.
The next school board meeting will be held Wednesday, July 11 instead of July 24 when it was originally scheduled in the high school Audion room.
The board meeting will be held at 7 p.m. and will be preceded by an academic committee meeting at 5:30 p.m.
Board member Linda Leewright stated at the meeting that she plans to attend the July 11 meeting of the Saucon Valley Partnership–a council of governments (COG) comprised of representatives from the school district, the Borough of Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township–to gather information about the district’s possible withdrawal from the partnership.
Leewright said she would like to discuss the possibility of withdrawing from the partnership because she wants to look at “a better use of time.”
“In my opinion this (committee) does not (pertain to the school district),” she said. “That’s what I’m looking at–a better use of time and resources.”
“We also have to pay money into it,” added board member Bryan Eichfeld.
“Not a lot,” said Leewright.
Note: An earlier published version of this story incorrectly stated that the next school board meeting would be held July 24.
