The State College Area School Board on Monday unanimously approved the appointment of a new assistant superintendent for secondary education.
Jonathan Bucher was hired to fill the role previously held by now-superintendent Curtis Johnson. Bucher, who brings 19 years of education experience to the assistant superintendent position, has been principal of East Pennsboro High School in Cumberland County since 2017.
“I’m excited to join the district,” Bucher said in a statement. “For quite some time, I have been observing State College’s commitment to serving all students, and I knew this is a place I wanted to be part of. I look forward to contributing to raising the bar on the district’s tradition of preparing students for lifelong success through excellence in education.”
Under Bucher’s leadership, East Pennsboro earned a Pennsylvania State School of Character designation from Character.org, an honor “that demonstrate a dedicated focus on character development which has a positive effect on academic achievement, student behavior and school climate,” according to the organization’s website.
Prior to his time as principal, Bucher held assistant principal positions at East Pennsboro and two Lancaster County schools: Warwick High School and Manheim Township Middle School. He began his career as a high school teacher and secondary education consultant with Intermediate Unit 13 in Lancaster. During a three-year hiatus from his education career, he helped his father retire from his family’s business after 50 years.
“We’re looking forward to working with Jonathan,” Johnson said in a statement. “His leadership experience and considerable familiarity with secondary students, faculty and curriculum made him the ideal candidate for us, and will help our schools continue to serve our students and their families as best as possible. We welcome him to our community.”
A native of Millerstown in Perry County, Bucher received a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2000 from Millersville University, where he earned a football scholarship, was an all-conference defensive tackle and was named to the AFCA Good Works Team recognizing 22 players nationally for service to their communities.
He earned a special education teaching certification from Immaculata University in 2006 and a master’s degree in educational administration from Temple University in 2008. He will complete a doctorate in educational leadership from Immaculata in June.
Bucher’s appointment will begin July 1. His contract is for five years with a starting annual salary of $160,000.
