Jonathan Bucher, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education

On May 15, 2023, the State College Area School District Board of Directors approved Dr. Jonathan Bucher to be the assistant superintendent for secondary education.

Bucher came from the East Pennsboro Area School District, where he has been East Pennsboro High School’s principal since 2017. A native Pennsylvanian and Penn State football fan, he brings 19 years of experience in education to his latest position.

“I’m excited to join the district,” he said. “For quite some time, I have been observing State College’s commitment to serving all students, and I knew this is a place I wanted to be part of. I look forward to contributing to raising the bar on the district’s tradition of preparing students for lifelong success through excellence in education.”

Under his stewardship, East Pennsboro High School in Enola received a prestigious Pennsylvania State School of Character designation from Character.org for developing and implementing a proactive and comprehensive approach to embedding character in all aspects of school life. 

Before becoming a principal, Bucher served as East Pennsboro’s assistant principal in 2017 and as an assistant principal at Warwick High School the previous year. From 2008 to 2013, he was the assistant principal at Manheim Township Middle School, coordinating the world language department for grades 7-12 among other duties. He began his career as a high school teacher and grades 6-12 educational consultant with Intermediate Unit 13 in Lancaster.

“We’re looking forward to working with Jonathan,” SCASD Superintendent Curtis Johnson said. “His leadership experience and considerable familiarity with secondary students, faculty and curricula made him the ideal candidate for us, and will help our schools continue to serve our students and their families as best as possible. We welcome him to our community.”

After growing up in Millerstown and playing high school basketball and football, Bucher earned a football scholarship to Millersville University, where he was an all-conference defensive tackle. In 1999, he was named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, an honor annually awarded to only 22 players nationally who dedicate their time to bettering communities and lives. Past recipients have included Peyton Manning and Eli Manning.

He graduated with a sociology degree, then spent a gap year working with family members in Puerto Rico while studying Spanish and Puerto Rican culture. Five years into teaching, in 2006, he received a special education teaching certification from Immaculata University. Two years later came a Master’s Degree in educational administration from Temple University. He anticipates completing a doctorate in educational leadership from Immaculata in June.

Bucher’s career has included a three-year hiatus, during which he helped his father retire from his family’s business after 50 years.

“Even though I had to leave education per se, these business experiences improved my interpersonal skills with diverse stakeholders and strategic planning in ways that traditional educational experiences may never have developed in the same span of time,” he wrote when applying to SCASD.

Bucher started on July 1, 2023, and belongs to the Pennsylvania Principals Association and the National Association of Secondary School Principals. He and his wife, Jill, are raising twin children, a son, and a daughter.