Photo Credit: HarritonTV & LMSD
LOWER MERION – At a special meeting of the Lower Merion Board of School Directors on July 29th, the district announced several fundamental personnel changes. Scott Weinstein, previously the principal of Harriton, has been moved to the position of Acting Assistant to the Superintendent. In his place, current Harriton Assistant Principal Stuart Warshawer will step in as Acting Principal. To fill Warshawer’s position, Special Education Department Chair Patrick Snyder will become an Assistant Principal, joining Assistant Principals Graziosi-Hibbs and Marcuson. It is unclear if these changes are permanent.
Weinstein joined Harriton in April 2016; before that, he was Principal of Gladwyne Elementary and assistant principal of Bala Cynwood and Welsh Valley Middle School. Weinstein was critical to making Harriton one of the nation’s finest public high schools and will be missed by staff, students, and parents.
These announcements come a few months after Superintendent Yanni informed the district that he would be transitioning to the role of Superintendent of Central Bucks, where he resides. To temporarily fill Yanni’s role, the district has appointed Assistant Superintendent Megan Shafer as Acting Superintendent. Lower Merion will begin its third superintendent search in as many years, contracting the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit to lead the process.
Additionally, LMSD announced that Lower Merion High School Assistant Principal Scott Kilpatrick has resigned, and Dr. Lauren Hopkins will serve as Acting Assistant Principal. George Frazier, the district’s IT Director, has retired, and Mark Klein has been brought in to assist the board during these transitions.
The full press release can be found below:
Dear LMSD Community,
I hope you are enjoying the summer. In this letter, I wanted to share some updates about our ongoing work to prepare for the start of the 2024-2025 school year, which is quickly approaching.
LMEA Contract
At last night’s special meeting of the Lower Merion Board of School Directors, the Board approved a new three-year contract with the Lower Merion Education Association (LMEA), which the LMEA membership had approved earlier this month. The Board and Administration look forward to continued collaboration with our excellent professional and support staff members in the years ahead.
Superintendent Search
On Monday night, the Board also voted to contract with the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit (MCIU) to assist them with the search for LMSD’s next Superintendent. The search firm and Board will be sharing additional information with the community regarding the process and opportunities for engagement in the coming weeks.
Organizational Updates
As Acting Superintendent, one of my primary goals is to ensure stability within the LMSD Administration, as we launch key initiatives during this upcoming year, including universal full-day kindergarten and LMSD Smart Start, our change in school start times. To assist in ensuring the smooth implementation of these programs, I am recommended the following updates to our administrative structure, which the Board also approved last night.
- Scott Weinstein will move from his role as principal at Harriton High School to serve as Acting Assistant to the Superintendent. He will oversee much of the work previously supported by Dr. McGloin. As a seasoned building leader who has worked in all school levels across LMSD, Scott brings a depth of knowledge about what is happening in our schools and how we can best serve students.
- At Harriton, current Assistant Principal Stuart Warshawer will serve as Acting Principal, with ongoing support from assistant principals Lauren Marcuson and Dr. Stephanie Graziosi-Hibbs. They will be joined by current department head Patrick Snyder, who will take on an acting assistant principal role for this year.
- In the Student Services Department, Gina Virkler, who currently serves as the Special Education Coordinator for grades 4-6, will serve as Acting Special Education Supervisor for grades 4-6, replacing Beth Cavalier, who is resigning to assume the role of Assistant Director of the Office of Student Services at the MCIU.
- At Lower Merion High School, Dr. Lauren Hopkins will continue to serve as an acting assistant principal, filling in for Scott Kilpatrick, who has submitted his resignation. We intend to fill Dr. Hopkins’s role of Supervisor of Secondary Humanities as soon as possible.
- Earlier this year, the Board accepted the retirement of George Frazier, our IT Director, effective next month. I am pleased that George has agreed to serve as a consultant to our IT department in the months ahead. Having continued access to his expertise in protecting our students and systems as we distribute devices and implement educational technology in our classrooms is reassuring.
- Finally, I am pleased to share that Mark Klein, who has extensive experience as an educator and superintendent, and who has worked with LMSD in various interim roles in the past, will serve as an administrative consultant. In this role, he will assist me in ensuring the duties of the Superintendent’s cabinet are efficiently and effectively covered during this transition period. Mark is an experienced, kind and thoughtful leader, and I know that the organization will benefit from his support through the next few months.
I am confident that with these team members in place, along with the continued dedication of the rest of our Cabinet and Academic Council leadership, we are positioning our District in the best possible way for the upcoming school year, the transition to a new superintendent and beyond.
I look forward to welcoming your students in September for another great year in LMSD!
Sincerely,
Megan E. Shafer
Acting Superintendent
