The Parkland Board of School Directors granted unanimous approval to 5-year extensions of the contracts for Superintendent Dr. Mark Madson, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Michelle Minotti and Chief Financial Officer Leslie Frisbie at the Oct. 21 meeting.<\/p>\n
The new agreements will take effect at the start of the next fiscal year July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2031.<\/p>\n
Madson and Frisbie were new to the district in 2021 and Minotti moved up from Springhouse Middle School principal to assume her current position that year.<\/p>\n
School board President Robert M. Cohen noted the board began negotiating for the renewals five months ago. \u201cI am pleased to say we have contracts,\u201d Cohen said.<\/p>\n
He mentioned the importance of stable leadership as the district proceeds with construction projects to accommodate growth in enrollment while advancing its commitment to educational excellence.<\/p>\n
Cohen offered comments on the three individuals.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been my honor to serve with Dr. Madson for four years. He has given 100% of himself to continue to make our school district successful. Excellence starts at the top. We are fortunate to have Dr. Madson at the helm,\u201d Cohen said.<\/p>\n
\u201cDr. Minotti has been in our district for decades. She has devoted herself to students and the community. It will be my privilege and honor to vote in favor of her contract,\u201d Cohen said.<\/p>\n
Cohen then went on to praise Frisbie for her ability to explain budgetary matters to the board.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer financial acumen has been displayed over and over again in her tenure in this district. We don\u2019t just get the numbers, we get what\u2019s behind the numbers,\u201d Cohen said. He said her title has changed from director of business administration to chief financial officer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are incredibly fortunate to have Dr. Madson, Dr. Minotti and Ms. Frisbie leading our district. Their dedication and vision have been instrumental in our continued success. These contract extensions reflect our unwavering confidence in their ability to guide Parkland School District to even greater achievements in the years to come. We look forward to their continued leadership and positive impact on our students, staff and community,\u201d Cohen said.<\/p>\n
In information provided to The Press from Director, Communications and Community Engagement Nicole Mehta McGalla, \u201cSince assuming the role of superintendent in 2021, Madson and his core leadership team have led numerous initiatives that have strengthened academic programs, improved facilities, fostered community partnerships and earned national recognition for the district.\u201d<\/p>\n
Accomplishments noted include:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Launched comprehensive \u201cFIRST 100 DAYS IN OFFICE Transition Plan\u201d focused on building trust, belonging, excellence and post-pandemic planning<\/p>\n
\u2022 Led district to win the Morning Call\u2019s Top Workplaces Award for four consecutive years and the Top Leadership Award twice<\/p>\n
\u2022 Spearheaded the Vision 2030 Project to address enrollment growth in grades 6-12, including the approximately 80,000 square foot addition to Parkland High School with 30 classrooms and 16 new art, science, engineering, robotics and foods labs scheduled to break ground in the spring of 2026<\/p>\n
\u2022 Ensured successful return to full-time, five-days-per-week instruction following the COVID-19 pandemic<\/p>\n
\u2022 Launched girls wrestling program, Esports Club and girls flag football at Parkland High School<\/p>\n
\u2022 Secured Nike contract to provide enhanced sports uniforms and equipment<\/p>\n
\u2022 Implemented district\u2019s first-ever summer feeding program in 2025, distributing over 16,750 meals<\/p>\n
\u2022 Created Superintendent\u2019s Student Leadership Council to gather student feedback and improve school climate and inclusivity<\/p>\n
\u2022 Opened new central registration department in July to streamline the registration process<\/p>\n
\u2022 Successfully negotiated new contracts with both teachers\u2019 union and support staff union during the 2021-2022 school year<\/p>\n
\u2022 Oversaw addition and major renovations at Schnecksville Elementary School<\/p>\n
\u2022 Led construction of new education and operations center to modernize central operations and expand alternative education and cyber learning programs<\/p>\n
\u2022 Upgraded security cameras across the district with AI technology for weapon detection<\/p>\n
\u2022 Expanded School Resource Officer program to provide coverage at all Parkland schools<\/p>\n
\u2022 Conducted parent reunification drill with district-wide administration<\/p>\n
\u2022 Redesigned and paved bus loops at Fogelsville Elementary School and Parkway Manor Elementary School this past summer<\/p>\n
\u2022 Installed bipolar ionization units in all elementary schools to improve indoor air quality<\/p>\n
\u2022 Acquired land next to Cetronia Elementary School for future expansion<\/p>\n
\u2022 Implemented centralized printing program projected to save $195,000 over five years<\/p>\n
\u2022 Recorded annual Parkland Pride podcast series and hosted Coffee with the Superintendent program<\/p>\n
\u2022 Conducted more than 40 community meetings to share plans for the Vision 2030 Project<\/p>\n
\u2022 Celebrated the district\u2019s 75th anniversary with various community engagement activities<\/p>\n
\u2022 Launched new district logo and individual school logos to create a consistent and unified brand identity<\/p>\n
\u2022 In the National Top Workplace Awards, Parkland was ranked eighth in the 1,000+ employee educational institutions category, making it one of just 71 employers recognized as Education Top Workplaces for 2025 in the country this past year.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Parkland High School Theatre Department recognized as one of only 25 schools nationally and the sole Pennsylvania school honored for theater access and education<\/p>\n
\u2022 Parkland received \u201cBest Communities for Music Education\u201d designation for the 10th consecutive year<\/p>\n
\u2022 Parkland\u2019s World Language Department won the 2023 Golden Globe Award for exemplary programming<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Family and Consumer Sciences Department received the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Standards for Excellence Award<\/p>\n
\u2022 Niche 2026 Awards include:<\/p>\n
Best School District in the Lehigh Valley (No. 1)<\/p>\n
Best School District for Athletes in PA (No. 2)<\/p>\n
Best Overall School District in PA (No. 18)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Parkland Board of School Directors granted unanimous approval to 5-year extensions of the contracts for Superintendent Dr.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1834,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120],"class_list":{"0":"post-28427","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-allentown","8":"tag-allentown","9":"tag-allentown-headlines","10":"tag-allentown-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28427"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28427\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}