The Altoona Area School Board approved the resignation of former McAuliffe Heights Program at Irving Elementary School principal Brandy Agnew and is in the process of filling that position.

During the board’s meeting Monday, Agnew’s resignation was accepted, effective Feb. 14, after she was placed on an educational sabbatical April 15, 2024.

Since then, acting principal Raisa Gray has served as the school’s acting principal and will continue doing so through the end of the 2024-25 school year calendar on June 30, Superintendent Brad Hatch said.

“We’ll go through the process of interviewing and selecting a candidate. Ms. Gray will definitely be in the mix. She’s doing a great job,” Hatch said, noting Agnew made a “personal decision” to resign.

There were also some “hefty retirements” on the board’s list of personnel agenda items, board member Stephanie McGinnis noted.

Those included Gerard Koehle, an assistant principal at the Altoona Area Junior High School; high school mathematics teacher Kenneth Balough; and high school music teachers Larry and Kelly Detwiler, who also taught at the junior high school.

“We’re losing some really good, talented people,” board President Val Mignogna said.

Retaining wall project

In other business, the board approved a $1,584 capital project payment for the district’s intramural field retaining wall, which Hatch said came in nearly $250,000 under budget of the original nearly $900,000 price tag it was expected to cost to repair.

In September, the district received a $453,192 state grant to help cover that cost. As part of the grant provision, the district had to match the amount.

Hatch said the unused funding will be utilized for future capital projects, preserving the district’s capital reserve fund balance.

“We did really well with that,” Hatch said, noting the project will be completed soon.

Hatch said the repair project was “very successful” and thanked Trevor Robinson, the district’s buildings and grounds director, and his team for overseeing the project.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.