A face that’s familiar to the Austintown Local School community will be taking over the superintendent’s office.

At a special board meeting on Friday, the Austintown Board of Education named Timothy S. Kelty as the next Superintendent of the school district.

"Being an Austintown kid and growing up in Austintown, this is a huge honor for me," Kelty said to 21 News on Friday. 

Kelty has been with the Austintown Local School District since 2006 and is a graduate of Austintown Fitch High School.

Kelty earned a Bachelor's Degree in Education and a Master's Degree in School Administration, both from Youngstown State University.

He has served the Austintown Local Schools as Head Principal at Woodside Elementary School, Assistant and Head Principal at Austintown Elementary and Assistant and current Head Principal at Austintown Fitch High School since 2018.

When asked what his goals were as superintendent, Kelty said, "We're in the upper 15% in the State of Ohio so we're very proud of that, which says we have great people here and a great community. I would just want to keep the momentum going forward."

21 News asked Kelty what the biggest issue is facing the school district and he couldn't name one. He said Fitch takes pride in their student achievement, student performance and athletic facilities and hopes to carry on the legacy of retiring Superintendent David Cappuzzello.

During his time in the district, he has also coached football and baseball, along with being the co-founder of the AFHS Athletic Hall of Fame.

"I always envisioned being here at Fitch coming from Austintown," Kelty said. "I never envisioned [being superintendent], but here I am today. It's a pride honor. It really is."

Kelty, who is a decorated Veteran of Desert Storm, having served in the US Army, takes the place of retiring Superintendent, David Cappuzzello.

His promotion doesn't come without controversy as he was once placed on paid administrative leave back in 2018 pending investigations into potential misconduct with alleged inappropriate behavior involving students, staff, and student discipline. Ultimately, nothing came of it. Kelty told 21 News the those allegations aren't factual.

"It's not the facts," Kelty said. When asked about some public disapproval of his promotion, Kelty said, "I'm sure they should talk to our Board President [about the decision]."

"We've worked through past findings and we are moving forward as a district. We're confident that the board has made the right decision to select Timothy Kelty as superintendent," said Brittany Morell, Marketing & Public Relations Specialist for Austintown Local Schools. 

Kelty will assume Cappuzzello's role on July 1, 2023.