A Carbon County native will return to the area as Lehighton Area School District interim superintendent.

Lehighton’s board unanimously approved an agreement Monday with John W. (Jack) Corby, who grew up in Nesquehoning, was hired at $600 per day through, at the latest, June 30, 2022, while it searches for someone to fill the post permanently.

“I’m really excited to be here,” Corby said upon being introduced at the meeting. “There are a lot of great kids here in Lehighton who have excelled in all of the important parts of a district; arts, music, athletics, and the reason we are all here, academics. That doesn’t just happen in itself though, it takes a community in the school district including teachers, support staff, the board and parents working together. It’s time we start concentrating on those things.”

Corby’s hiring comes less than two weeks after Lehighton terminated the contract of Jonathan Cleaver, who had been superintendent for nine years, alleging previous boards approved illegal contract extensions. Two days later, Cleaver filed a lawsuit against the district alleging breach of contract.

Per the agreement approved Monday night, the district “is facing an emergency situation where it needs to have the experience of a superintendent who has knowledge of the region and the ability to operate a school district effectively,” because it is “officially commencing labor contract negotiations with the Lehighton Area Education Association, the union representing employees in the district, and the ongoing budgetary process for 2022-23.”

Corby has served as assistant high school principal at Palmerton Area High School; an elementary school principal at Palmerton Area School District; assistant superintendent at the Tamaqua Area School District; the director of secondary education for grades 7-12 at the Whitehall-Coplay School District; the superintendent of schools at the Whitehall-Coplay School District; acting superintendent at the Northern Lehigh School District; acting assistant superintendent at the Northwestern Lehigh School and the acting superintendent at the Northern Lebanon School District.

“(Corby) is a natural to assist the district, particularly given his experience, until such time as the district can complete its superintendent search for a successor superintendent to Mr. Cleaver,” the district stated in the agreement approved Monday.