Penns Valley superintendent announces April retirement; board, community praise his service

Superintendent Brian Griffith told the Penns Valley Area School Board on March 17 that he will retire April 3, 2026, and used his final regular meeting to thank staff, families and the community for their support.

Dr. Griffith’s report recapped recent legislative advocacy, a meeting with the Deputy Secretary of Education and the school code changes signed into law in February 2026. Board members and community attendees responded with appreciation; public commenter Angela Homan provided a prerecorded video “thanking him for his service.”

Why it matters: leadership transitions set the district’s near-term priorities and trigger a superintendent search that the board has authorized to incur limited expenses. The board had already voted to permit reasonable search-related expenditures up to $1,000 (later recorded as a 9–0 roll call vote). The district will move to an interim leadership arrangement and proceed with the search process prior to Dr. Griffith’s April 3 departure.

Board process and next steps: the board authorized up to $1,000 for necessary superintendent-search expenses, with specifics to be approved as incurred. The search-expense motion was moved by Scott Butler and seconded by Daniel Hall and recorded as passing by roll call vote 9–0. The board also noted the appointment of Kim Domin as the district’s second CPI representative effective April 4, 2026.

The meeting adjourned at 6:59 P.M.; the board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for April 21, 2026.