Superintendent to resign, moving back to England
Southern Lehigh School District Superintendent Kathleen Evison will resign from her post effective July 2, saying she’s decided to move back to England amid changes in her family’s circumstances.
“[I]f this pandemic has taught us anything, it is the value of family and how important it is to hold our loved ones close,” she wrote in an email to district families over the weekend. “It has been an incredibly difficult decision professionally, but is the right thing for our family and we look forward to the next chapter.”
School board members are expected to act on her resignation April 12. Evison is in the first year of a five-year contract.
School board President Anita Desai said in an email that more information about the search for a new superintendent would come at future board meetings once Evison’s resignation is approved.
“[W]e are very sorry to see her leave as we have appreciated her leadership to the Southern Lehigh School District, but we respect and understand the difficult decision she is making for her family,” Desai wrote. “The importance of family, and subsequent decision to move back to England, is something that while is unfortunate for our district, is something the SLSD school board can certainly understand.”
Desai said Evison began her tenure leading a comprehensive planning process and has made other improvements since she was hired in 2016. Evison has been integral in looking at continuous curriculum improvements and incorporating ways to address social and emotional learning for students, Desai said.
“She has helped the district to make sound personnel decisions while also being fiscally responsible at a time when school funding is decreasing and special education costs are increasing. She has helped to lead the district through a process for facilities improvements to include basic required maintenance to our facilities, along with improvements to our arts and athletics programs, that will be up for approval by the school board in the future,” Desai said.
In her email, Evison said serving as superintendent has been her greatest honor.
“I am so proud of the many accomplishments of the students and staff at
Southern Lehigh and the incredible resilience, courage, compassion, and grace shown by so many during these most difficult of times,” she wrote.
Evison started at Southern Lehigh in October 2016, 12 years after she came to the United States.
She came to the district in the midst of a series of homophobic and racist actions at the district’s high school. At the time, Evison emphasized that a very small minority of students were involved, but that even one incident was too much.
And of course, her final year has been marked by the chaos of the pandemic.
“This has been a year like no other in education, and Mrs. Evison relied on input from various stakeholders to implement a plan for Southern Lehigh to be able to provide in-person learning for students as well as provide remote learning,” Southern Lehigh Education Association President Amy Bausher said. “Obviously, it was a shock that she is leaving but we wish her well both professionally and personally.”