LEWISTOWN — The Mifflin County School District Board of Directors voted to fill the openings for the federal programs coordinator and principal position at Strodes Mills Elementary School on Thursday.

Frank Miller, who is currently both the federal programs coordinator and principal of Strodes Mills Elementary School, will retire from both positions on June 30, 2026.

Before the roll call vote to approve the position, Director E. Terry Styers said, “Student achievement is our number one goal. (This option) gives us the best opportunity to do that because option one provides the best opportunity to enhance supervision and evaluation of our children.”

Styers added, “(This option) also comes as close as we can get to having our buildings fairly and equally staffed.”

Directors voted to fill the vacant position in a 7-2 roll call vote with board President Zeb Harshbarger and Director Mark Baker voting no.

The movement to reorganize and fill vacancies in the elementary administration team through the creation of an additional elementary principal position goes into effect at the start of the 2026-27 school year.

This vote:

•Changes the existing combined Strodes Mills Elementary School principal and federal programs coordinator position to Strodes Mills principal only.

•Changes the existing combined Lewistown Intermediate School and East Derry Elementary School principal position to Lewistown Intermediate School principal only.

•Changes the existing combined Lewistown Intermediate School and East Derry assistant principal position to Lewistown Intermediate School assistant principal only.

•Adds an East Derry principal position. This is a new administrative position.

Following the vote, Styers said of the district elementary teachers, Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology staff and parents of students in the district in attendance, “This is a sample of the heart and soul of the Mifflin County School District. Thank you for coming in here and sharing with us.”

This group of teachers, staff and parents in the district shared their thoughts regarding the board’s decision to choose an option to fill the vacancies in elementary administration during a public comment period before one of the major roll call votes of the evening meeting.

Carrie Stufft, third-grade teacher at East Derry Elementary school said, “A principal is the glue in making sure a school is working cohesively towards success. That is difficult when a principal has to split their time and double the amount of work between two buildings and travel back and forth.”

Beth White, second-grade teacher at Lewistown Elementary School, shared that teachers and staff must address student needs when elementary schools share principals. She added that the proactive choice to help students succeed and to meet student needs is to have a dedicated leader (a principal) at each school.

Travis McCullough, culinary arts instructor at Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology, said, “The right thing is always the hardest thing to do. Those of you voting, I think, know in your heart of hearts that option number one is the right thing to do.”

Rachelle Searer, a Lewistown resident and parent of two daughters in the school district, shared that “the school is a safe haven for many of these children” and that a dedicated principal for each building makes a significant impact on teachers, staff, and, most of all, the students.

Other instructors echoed the sentiments of those who voiced support for option one to fill the elementary administration vacancies, which were later approved by the board.

Further information regarding the board’s voting meeting will be available in a future edition of The Sentinel.