Oct 26, 2019 2 min read

Superintendent James Konrad will lead the Washington School District for the next four years.

Washington School Board voted 7-1 on Monday to extend Konrad’s contract. He took the helm of the school district in July 2017.

The four-year contract runs from July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2024. It calls for an annual salary of $136,593, and allows for future raises contingent on performance.

“I’m excited to continue to be a part of the Prexie community. We’re doing really wonderful things in the school district, and I look forward to having the opportunity to see those great things come to fruition,” said Konrad. “I appreciated the confidence of the board, and I am excited to be working with highly dedicated and qualified staff who are dedicated to provided the best educational, social and emotional opportunities for kids.”

In another matter, the school board rehired former Washington Park Elementary School teacher Ryan Bunting as an assistant high school basketball coach.

Several residents and community members, along with basketball players, attended the district’s two most recent school board meetings to plead for the directors to rehire Bunting, who has served as a high school assistant coach for six years.

The basketball team has two other assistant coaches, along with the head coach, and administrators determined a third assistant coach was not necessary due to a smaller number of athletes playing on the varsity and junior varsity teams.

Parents and community members told the board Bunting, who is employed as an adjunct professor at Washington & Jefferson College, is an exceptional role model who connects with the students.

Parents said Bunting is an asset to the community and called him a “mentor, role model, big brother and educator.”

“He goes above and beyond. He’s a great role model, and he’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever had in my life,” said a former basketball player.

Konrad said the school district has been evaluating all sports in order to hire the number of coaches needed to meet the needs of the athletes while remaining fiscally responsible.

“We are doing this in all sports, and then making an intelligent decision for the needs of that sport and hiring district-paid coaches to coach those sports,” said Konrad. “We’re excited to have Ryan back and supporting the players.”