WAYNESBORO – Former Summitview Elementary School Principal Steven Pappas was seated with his attorney before the Board of Directors of the Waynesboro Area School District Monday night, Jan. 19, to face charges of misconduct and unprofessionalism.
The first night of hearings opened with District Superintendent, Dr. Rita Sterner-Hine called as the first witness against Pappas and she sat through nearly five hours of questioning before a crowd of over 150 attendees and news media.
Pappas is facing allegations of unprofessionalism and misconduct dating back to 2018, but most of the focus was on incidents that happened during the 2024-2025 school year. Some of the allegations included failure to follow chain of command procedures involving the resetting of the school library book database, failure to assist in a safety concern incident involving a handicapped student, as well as being “combative” and “defensive” while being questioned by members of the school district’s administrative leaders.
During the questioning before the board, Sterner-Hine read from transcripts from those interviews and cited several instances that she felt that Pappas’ “hostilities” were directed toward her. When he questioned her about her desire for him to resign, she simply stated that she wanted him to “get along with people.”
Most of the crowd on Monday evening were friends, family and supporters of Pappas. When they felt his integrity being questioned, they were quick to let it be known with grunts and groans that brought on a reprimand from the chairman of the board of directors.
On Tuesday, Jan. 20, Pappas will have his moment to address the board when the hearings continue. The event is open to the public and will take place in the auditorium at Hooverville Elementary School, 10829 Buchanan Trail E. beginning at 5:30 p.m.
