Top Pa. school official to step down

ALLENTOWN - State Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak announced Thursday night that he will step down to take the helm of the Allentown School District after local officials unanimously chose him as superintendent.

Zahorchak will resign May 7 to replace retiring Superintendent Karen Angello.

Zahorchak will start July 1 in Allentown, the state's fourth-largest school district.

Allentown schools are academically troubled and receive extra state assistance. At a community forum in the city in March, Zahorchak vowed to create a "culture of rigor" to improve the district's academic performance.

Zahorchak, 52, has been education secretary since 2005. Before that, he was deputy secretary for elementary and secondary education. He has served as superintendent of the Greater Johnstown School District and held teaching and administrative positions in Cambria and Somerset Counties.

"My goal was always to return to the public schools," Zahorchak said in a statement.

Gov. Rendell, who will leave office in January, is expected to name Zahorchak's successor by May 7.