LIBERTY – A longtime Board of Education member said goodbye at Monday’s meeting.

Diana DeVito will be exiting her school board seat after serving on the Liberty board for the past 17 years. She said that while she may be finished with her duties as a board member, she will continue her involvement with the school district.

“Before I retired from teaching, I decided that I would really like to be on the school board,” DeVito said. “It’s the only thing I really know a whole lot about… education. I started here in 2008, with some really challenging times. Liberty kind of financially imploded, and we had a big controversy. But we were able to get out of a fiscal emergency faster than any other school district in the state up to that point.”

Prior to serving as a school board member for Liberty, DeVito, a Youngstown State University alumna, began teaching fifth-grade language arts at St. Patrick Elementary School in Hubbard. Following her stint under the Diocese of Youngstown, DeVito taught special education at Girard Local School District, and then fulfilled an administrative position with the Trumbull County Educational Service Center.

DeVito eventually moved into the special education supervisor role with the Mahoning County Educational Service Center, while serving on Liberty’s Board of Education, until 2013. Since then, she has simultaneously served on the school board and as Liberty’s representative to the Trumbull Career and Technical Center board.

DeVito graduated from Liberty in 1971, before receiving education degrees from YSU, Westminster College and Kent State University.

“There were a lot of sacrifices made here,” DeVito said about her experience. “My whole thing is, because I was a teacher, I really think that teachers are the variable. You want to do well with kids and you want to give them the best, and I know it’s all about the kids, but it’s really about the teachers, and all the staff that supports them. Liberty’s a good school district. We’re a good employer here in Liberty township, and I have nothing but good to say about this place.”

Liberty resident and English teacher Janine Hamilton, who will replace DeVito on the board, entered the school district as its first black teacher in 1974, and remained in Liberty for 35 years. During the district’s Oct. 19 Meet the Candidates night, ahead of the Nov. 7 election, she said she has witnessed life in the township from many perspectives.

“Though I come from the other side of education as a teacher,” Hamilton said at the event. “Above all, I would appreciate another opportunity by contributing to the board’s crucial work of overseeing strategies to ensure students’ needs are prioritized, and that those needs, and our community’s expectations are reflected in our district policies.”

The new board member also taught at Youngstown State University, and said she has always been proud of the diversity in Liberty schools and that she hopes to continue providing more support for diversity in the district.

During a Liberty Board of Education meeting last month, Superintendent Andrew J. Tommelleo announced his resignation due to retirement.

Effective in January, Debra A. Mettee will serve as superintendent for the district on a temporary basis. Mettee is now the district’s consultant and director of human resources / administrative professional development, which works with strategic planning and human resource management.

“I’ve worked for four years as a legal consultant for Liberty Local Schools,” Mettee said after the meeting. “Previous to that, I was the superintendent for Springfield Local Schools for 18 years.”

Mettee started her career with the Youngstown City School District as a Spanish and English teacher. For 10 years, she worked as the coordinator of the district’s bilingual program.

The new superintendent was also positioned for the role of executive director of personnel in human resources for YCSD after several years, before serving as Springfield’s superintendent.

Mettee, an attorney, holds a master’s degree in Spanish, a bachelor’s degree in administration, and a law degree. She also has served on the Ohio Council of School Board Attorneys, as an executive board member, for many years.

“In my high school days, I worked at the Liberty Plaza Theatre, which has been gone for years, and I’ve always liked Liberty,” Mettee added.

“I enjoyed working under Mr. (Joseph) Nohra, and I’ve enjoyed working under Dr. Tommelleo, and with the treasurer. On a daily basis, I usually review the agendas, and I write the contracts and things like that. So, since Dr. Tommelleo decided to leave mid-year, I know how important it is to do a good search for the next superintendent. Me taking this position and sort of seeing this transition will allow the board members to concentrate on finding the next superintendent, and I will be able to work with that person as a resource.”