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The Manheim Township School Board voted Thursday (March 19) to accept the resignation of Superintendent Dr. Caroline Pate-Hefty and appointed an interim replacement — less than eight months after she took the job.
According to WGAL, the board voted to approve Pate-Hefty's resignation agreement at its Thursday night meeting in the district office boardroom at 450A Candelwyck Road in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Board President Patrick Grenter declined to explain why she stepped down, citing confidentiality.
Pate-Hefty had been on administrative leave for roughly a month before the vote. She was hired last spring and officially became superintendent on July 1, 2025, under a contract set to run through 2030.
Dr. Martin Hudacs — known to the district as "Marty" — was appointed as substitute superintendent, effective Friday (March 20). A letter sent to district families said, "We are happy to welcome back Dr. Hudacs to Manheim Township as he previously served the district as Acting Superintendent in 2016." Hudacs previously served as superintendent of the Solanco School District for seven years before retiring in 2014.
Under the terms of the resignation agreement, as reported by PennLive, Pate-Hefty will remain on paid leave through June 30, continuing to collect her annual salary of $227,250. She will also receive a lump-sum severance payment for two personal days and 2.5 vacation days, calculated at her per diem rate. The agreement bars her from performing any superintendent duties and prohibits her from being on school property — except to attend events involving her own children.
The agreement also blocks both sides from making "disparaging remarks or derogatory statements or allegations" about one another. That clause has drawn sharp criticism from media law experts.
Melissa Melewsky, in-house counsel for the Pennsylvania News Media Association, reviewed the agreement and raised serious concerns. "We're dealing with the government and public officials agreeing to censor themselves, for lack of a better term," she said. "That's a big problem from a First Amendment perspective."
Melewsky added that the board "may have a duty in some circumstances to speak about matters of public concern," and that "the public has a right to receive information from their public officials." She called the non-disparagement clause "inappropriate" for a government agency.
Licensed media law attorney Paula Knudsen Burke had raised similar concerns even before the vote, warning that a confidentiality provision in Pate-Hefty's original employment contract appeared to conflict with Pennsylvania's Right to Know law and its Sunshine Act. "Transparency isn't optional, it's required by state law," Burke said.
Community members have also voiced frustration. Rhonda Garman, whose niece and nephew attend schools in the district, has been vocal on social media. "I think that they should just rip the red tape off of this and give the taxpayers the information that they need," she said.
The Manheim Township School District serves about 6,000 students, making it the third-largest district in Lancaster County. The board also plans to fill a separate vacancy left by board member Mark Boldizar, who resigned effective March 4 — the same week Pate-Hefty was placed on leave. Boldizar has said his departure was unrelated to the superintendent situation. Ten finalists have been interviewed for the open board seat.
No timeline has been announced for finding a permanent replacement for Pate-Hefty.