Westmoreland Intermediate Unit appoints interim leader amid executive director’s leave

Jason Stragand will fill in for Jason Conway.

By QUINCEY CATULLO
TribLive

The Westmoreland Intermediate Unit, which supports 17 local school districts, has appointed an interim leader to fill in for Executive Director Jason Conway.

Conway took a personal leave of absence effective April 1, according to Daniel Schall, a member of the intermediate unit board and the Derry Area School Board. The intermediate unit board appointed Jason Stragand on May 26 to temporarily fulfill Conway’s duties.

Conway did not return an email or a phone call requesting comment. Earlier this year, the Derry Area and Greater Latrobe school boards approved no-confidence votes regarding Conway.

Interim leader appointed

Stragand will maintain his role as the intermediate unit’s director of early childhood services while serving as interim executive director. He will receive an additional $100 per day beyond his original salary for the increased workload, according to board meeting minutes.

Stragand, who has worked at the intermediate unit for nine years, was appointed to his early childhood services role in 2024. He has worked 28 years in education, including stints as an elementary teacher and reading coach for Pittsburgh Public Schools, a reading director for public schools in Hawaii and a curriculum and instruction director for a middle school in Cleveland. He also operated a charter school management organization for about a decade, focusing on inner-city K-12 education.

Stragand said he was humbled by the interim appointment.

“I will do whatever it takes and work incredibly hard to ensure that we remain successful by supporting our districts, increasing outcomes for children and supporting the adults that support the children in our programs,” Stragand said. “I thank the board of directors for their confidence in my ability to take this on.”

Stragand will oversee the intermediate unit’s finance and human resource departments, its early intervention program and the school districts it supports, said Janis Niemiec, president of the intermediate unit board and a member of the Belle Vernon Area School Board.

“He really was a perfect fit for us,” Niemiec said. “He has really exceptional organizational skills, and he knows what needs to be done firsthand, so that was a real benefit to us.”

Schall said he believes Conway will return in August, barring an extension. Niemiec noted Conway initiated the leave.

“That was not a leave that was invoked by the board,” she said.

No-confidence votes

Schall did not know whether the leave was related to the March votes of no confidence.

The Derry Area School Board unanimously approved its vote of no confidence — a statement issued by a governing body indicating a lack of support for a leader.

Greater Latrobe school board members voted 6-3 on the matter. Board members John Petrarca, Patrick Carney, Merle D. Musick, Merle L. Musick, John Urban and Yelayna Rossi supported the vote of no confidence, while Bradley Toman, Tom Gockel and Andrew Repko opposed it.

Toman, who also sits on the intermediate unit board, could not be reached for comment.

Schall said Derry Area approved its vote because of comments Conway made to media outlets regarding last year’s state budget impasse.

“Dr. Conway made some comments to the press about the school districts not paying the bills to the IU that were owed, and it was because (of) the budget impasse that the IU was, at the time, maybe going to have to furlough some employees,” Schall said.

Derry Area paid its bills to the intermediate unit on time, Schall said, but the school board felt Conway’s statements gave the opposite impression to taxpayers.

“We were starting a renovation,” Schall said, “and that could have affected our bond rating.”