Allentown, PA -- The Allentown School District is excited to share key milestones in the area of Talent Management and Labor Relations.
At its Thursday, September 24, 2026, School Board of Directors Meeting, Kristina Michener was promoted to Assistant Principal at South Mountain Middle School. A dedicated member of the South Mountain community for over two decades, Michener has served as an ELA teacher, AVID instructor, grade-level team leader, and, most recently, as Interim Dean of Students. Michener holds a Master of Education from Pennsylvania State University and recently earned her Principal Certification.
Additionally, she was a participant in the District’s Emerging Leaders Program, illustrating the direct impact of the District’s strategic investment in our workforce.
The Emerging Leaders program is designed for educators who wish to pursue additional roles in school or district administration. To date, 55% of program participants have been successfully hired into full-time administrative and leadership positions across the district.
The District’s commitment to developing and retaining exceptional talent extends beyond leadership development through strategic partnerships with higher education institutions.
Through programs with organizations such as BloomBoard, Lehigh Carbon Community College, Point Park University, Hampton University, the University of Pennsylvania, New Leaders, and DeSales University, employees have access to degree completion pathways, leadership development opportunities, professional certifications, graduate-level coursework, tuition reimbursement, discounted tuition, and scholarship support.
These investments create meaningful career advancement opportunities for employees while strengthening the District’s pipeline of highly qualified teachers, leaders, and specialized professionals from within our own workforce.
Additional highlights over the last year include:
- A 23% increase in employee diversity, driven by targeted recruitment and retention efforts, ensures that our students see themselves reflected in their leaders.
- Expanded staff incentive programs to include 35 partnerships, providing access to discounted services across a variety of industries.
- At the classroom level, the District has achieved a 99% fill rate with minimal open positions remaining.
We are always seeking qualified applicants for support and operational positions, and encourage interested applicants to visit our careers page at www.allentownsd.org to view current openings and begin their applications today.
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