Tamaqua Area School District has promoted from within to fill its second-highest ranking position.

On a 6-0 vote, the school board on Tuesday appointed current high school Principal Stephen P. Toth as assistant superintendent, effective Aug. 26. Directors Daniel Schoener, Thomas Rottet and Aaron Frantz were absent.After the meeting, Superintendent Carol Makuta said that details of Toth's contract still have to be agreed upon.Makuta said there were five candidates within the district who had the credentials for the post. Of those, she said two pursued the interview process.Toth, who did not attend the meeting, said this morning that he is "certainly looking forward to the requirements of this position, and humbled by the confidence the board has shown in me. I look to continue to do both the school and Tamaqua community proud."Toth, 37, said he wants to continue the "positive trend that Mr. (Raymond) Kinder has established, and continue to bring effective communication and a shared vision when making decisions on and for our students."I think that continual maintenance of curriculum, instruction and assessments are paramount, and we collectively play a part in that," Toth said. "We have to look at what has worked and why, and then look at some points that we can improve on and make those points better."Toth said, "collectively, we have to come together to what our focus should be. It's way too early to pinpoint one thing, but I'd like there to be a focus on assessment literacy for our instructional staff."In education for 14 years, Toth began as a social studies teacher at Cardinal Brennan for one year, followed by six years at Minersville Area.Toth, of Pottsville, was hired by Tamaqua as assistant high school principal and promoted to high school principal Feb. 15, 2011."I love Tamaqua and the community," said Toth, who added that his grandfather, Peter Burcin, a 1938 graduate of Tamaqua, would bethrilled with this accomplishment. "I would also like to recognize my staff, and the people I work with on a daily basis. This accomplishment, in my opinion, is a shared (accomplishment)."Toth will replace current Assistant Superintendent Kinder, who last month was appointed by the board as district superintendent, effective Aug. 26. The board did not set Kinder's salary at that time.Kinder has been assistant superintendent since February 2008. He has been employed by the district since 1994.His appointment came after the board approved the retirement of Superintendent Carol Makuta, effective Aug. 26.Makuta is in the process of completing her second five-year contract as superintendent.Her career in education spans over 30 years of educational service, with 23 of those years in Tamaqua.