PASD rehires wrestling coaches; settles on $4.32 million admin building project

This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.

To enthusiastic approval from meeting attendees, the Palmyra Area school board unanimously voted Thursday, Aug. 20, to rehire high school wrestling coach Jonathan Regets and assistant head coach Joshua Weidman for the coming school year.

In other business items, the board voted to settle on the purchase of the new district office for $4.32 million. 

In addition to Regets and Weidman, assistant coach Luke Yox and volunteer wrestling coaches Micah Kunkle and Jeremiah Will were also approved to be hired for the high school boys wrestling program for the coming school year.

Prior to the vote, high school wrestler Elijah Foltz, who became the first Palmyra state place winner since 1988, spoke to the board in support of their rehiring.

“Never have I ever felt threatened, unsafe, or uncomfortable with them,” Foltz said. “I think that they’ve done a great job not only as coaches getting us better as wrestlers but as people, too.”

In discussing personnel transactions as part of the Staffing & Administration Committee report, which included rehiring the two coaches, superintendent Bernie Kepler said the “administration stands behind that recommendation and would be pleased and honored to have them back.”  

Regets and Weidman led the team to a historic 2025-26 season for the Palmyra wrestling program. The team qualified for PIAA Team States for the first time and sent three wrestlers — the most in the program’s history — to individual states. They were also named District 3 Coaches of the Year.

Following an earlier suspension and subsequent reinstatement, the coaches’ contracts were not renewed in May, after which the coaches continued to receive strong support from the community. Superintendent Bernie Kepler made a statement at the time that an investigation into the coaches earlier in the year found some non-specified policy violations, which were cited as the reason for the non-renewal.

Regets previously told LebTown that the suspension came immediately after disciplining a wrestler at a December match. Neither the board nor the coaches identified the wrestler at the time, but speakers during public comment mentioned the son of a previous board member by name.

Four of the five school board members who voted to approve the consent agenda on May 14 that did not include those positions – Jill Martin, Alicia Haldeman, Cynthia Spondello, and Corey Andrew – resigned their board seats over the summer. The new board members, sworn in at the Aug. 6 meeting, rehired the coaches on Thursday.

Administration building

Board members voted 7-1 to “authorize the administration to execute settlement documents for the purchase of the new district office in an amount not to exceed $4,326,088.19 plus any fees associated with closing costs.” 

That contract is with Palmyra-based H.R. Weaver Building Systems for a 13,000 square foot office building on South Forge Road.

Board member Seth Steinmetz voted against the measure, seeking further review of the contract.

“I’m rather impressed that given the advice from counsel or both counsels, that we haven’t taken a little bit of time for the board to have a pause or review or discuss it,” Steinmetz said.

The Palmyra school board agreed on March 26 to explore a settlement option regarding a new administration building already under construction on South Forge Road, with some board members saying they should reconsider the new building.

In other matters related to facility improvements, district residents Danielle Laudiero and Mega Nye discussed conditions of the fields and facilities for the girls’ softball team.

Noting that the softball fields look the same as they did 25 years ago, a lack of proper lighting, field degradation, and non-flushable bathroom facilities were among the deficiencies noted by the speakers during public comment.

Both said that the boys’ fields have amenities like heated bathrooms, outdoor lighting, and flushing toilets. Nye said the softball team wants a comparable field for the season, suggesting temporary outdoor lighting until a more permanent solution is found.

“I feel like the district owes it to these girls to give them a chance to play at their best, and right now and in previous seasons it hasn’t happened,” she said, adding that games end early due to darkness.

In addition to other building renovations being announced for consideration at September’s meeting, board officials discussed adding softball field renovations to those discussions.

Other board business

In other business, the board unanimously agreed to:

• Accept the resignation of former counsel and approve hiring Saxton & Stump as the district’s solicitor from Aug. 20 through June 30.
• Formally approve Joshua Jones as board representative to the Lebanon County Career & Technology Center and Christine Fisher as the alternate. 
• Approve the treasurer’s report for June and July.
• Accept the Aug. 6 board minutes.

Next meeting

The next meeting of the Palmyra Area school board is on Thursday, Sept. 3, at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria of Lingle Avenue Elementary School, 600 Lingle Ave., Palmyra.