By RANDY BARTLEY
Staff writer
The Cranberry Area School Board on Monday evening named a new principal, appointing Kayla Loll, who has served the past two years as assistant principal, as Ritt Smith’s replacement, effective July 1.
The Cranberry alumna previously worked as an assistant principal in Sugar Land, Texas, where she also taught elementary math.
Loll, who described herself as “a native Cranberrian,” earned her degrees in elementary and special education from Slippery Rock University before securing her administrator certification from Lamar University.
Smith, who has been in education for 26 years, including 10 at Cranberry, said he looks forward to walking his dogs, relaxing, fishing and taking his granddaughter to school.
He also plans to be active in the school community.
“We actually co-op with Oil City; so I will continue to be a football coach,” he said. “I’ll probably stay someplace in education.”
Other business
The school district received recognition from the Pennsylvania School Boards Association as an “Outstanding School District.”
PSBA representative Lena Hannah, who presented the board with a banner during the meeting, said the district has a commitment to “academic rigor, community, resilience and financial health.”
The district’s curriculum, she said, drives student engagement, is innovative and has honors and awards programs, fostering “a sense of belonging to the school and the community.”
Business Manager Karen Rupert provided a preliminary report on the 2024-25 budget, presenting projected information on revenues.
She noted although Gov. Josh Shapiro has proposed a larger subsidy for the district, the state Legislature is not required to adopt a budget until after the June 20 deadline for school districts to file a budget. The board will adopt a preliminary budget at its May 20 meeting.
