Mar 16, 2022 3 min read

Washington School District Superintendent George Lammay is shedding the “interim” tag from his title.

The Washington School Board voted unanimously Monday to hire Lammay, who has been serving as interim superintendent since Dec. 1, as the permanent leader of the district.

“I’m grateful, on a lot of fronts,” said Lammay. “I’m thankful to the board of education for their confidence in me. It’s a great opportunity to be here at Washington, with an excellent staff and a great community that cares for the kids. It’s an honor for me.”

Lammay replaces former Superintendent Dr. James Konrad, who took the same job at Pleasant Valley School District.

Board president Tara Sparks-Gatling described Lammay as “the total package,” and attributed his communication and decision-making skills as key factors for his permanent appointment.

“It’s everything – his personality, his leadership, our confidence in his decision-making, his openness with the board,” said Sparks-Gatling. “He is a breath of fresh air. I feel like under his leadership, we will get going in the direction we need to be going in as a district.”

Lammay’s term as interim superintendent ends on March 31. The board approved a three-year contract, from April 1 to June 30, 2025, at an annual salary of $130,000.

Lammay has spent his career in public education, including as a teacher, coordinator of a student assistance program, principal and coach. He served as assistant superintendent at Bentworth School District before retiring in June 2021.

But, in Tom Brady-like fashion, Lammay discovered he wasn’t ready for retirement, so he accepted a position as interim superintendent at Belle Vernon Area School District when the district began its search for a new superintendent last summer.

“I was a retirement failure. I felt a little lost, and I can’t fix anything. I’m not very handy,” said Lammay, laughing. “I wasn’t satisfied, I wasn’t ready to retire.”

In addition to his superintendent duties, Lammay continues to serve as the long-time public address announcer for Washington & Jefferson College sports.

He also is active in church ministry.

Lammay said his goals include building on the elementary school reading program in order to increase academic success, this year, and expanding career path opportunities at the high school.

“We need to help kids look at where they want to go in life, and there are alternatives to college that provide well-paying jobs,” he said.

Lammay also aims to boost morale of staff, who have spent the past two years teaching and working amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Educators are tired, and they’ve been through a lot. The pandemic has been draining,” said Lammay. “My goal is to support them, to be positive and uplift our staff as we see, hopefully, this pandemic coming to an end.”

He also emphasized the importance of focusing on students as learners and individuals.

“Most importantly,” said Lammay, “the board of education and administrative team, faculty and staff working together to work with our children is the most important thing we can do here.”