The Sept. 13 Saucon Valley school board meeting was brief but busy, with several noteworthy agenda items of interest during its barely 20-minute runtime.

The board officially filled a four-plus month high school head principal vacancy. Current Pocono Mountain East HS Assistant Principal Walter Pawlowski was hired to replace Tamara Gary – who abruptly resigned shortly before the end of the 2021-22 academic year – without objection.

He will receive a prorated annual salary of $110,000, which according to most recently available information is significantly less than Gary’s $125,000 deal. Additionally, the board agreed to pay Assistant Principal Amy Braxmeier a stipend of $3,000 “for meeting responsibilities above and beyond the current assistant principal role between May 1, 2022 - Sept. 30, 2022.”

Pawlowski joined the meeting and said he was “honored,” and that he “understand[s] and love[s]” the district’s high expectations. The incoming principal added that as a father of three young children, he “feels [the] pressure… to do great things” in his new role, but that he sees it as a “privilege.”

However, with one opening filled, the board unanimously accepted the resignation of Supervisor of Campus Operations John McCabe. “We’ll miss John,” said director Cedric Dettmar, with Vice President Susan Baxter noting that McCabe is returning to the private sector.

In other business, Northampton Community College President Dr. David Ruth attended the meeting to introduce himself under the context of his new role. Ruth said that the college – which Baxter has served as Saucon’s longtime Board of Trustees representative – has seen “a continued, growing interest” from district students over recent years.