Dr. Renato Lajara has been appointed principal at Cheltenham High School. The Cheltenham School District Board of School Directors voted unanimously earlier this week to accept the recommendation of Superintendent Dr. Wagner Marseille to appoint Dr. Lajara to the position. He has served as principal on an interim basis since August.

“During the past five months, Dr. Lajara’s transformational leadership style has inspired and motivated our students and staff as he works collaboratively to find new ideas and solutions to challenges,” Marseille said. “In that time, Dr. Lajara has demonstrated an innate ability to connect with parents, teachers, and students in an authentic and genuine manner, and we are grateful to have him on our staff.”

Dr. Lajara came to Cheltenham as the district’s director of elementary education in 2017. In 2019, he lent transitional support as the interim principal at Myers Elementary School, and as he was about to resume his administrative position this past August, the district tapped his shoulder again, this time to serve as the interim high school principal.

A former building principal at Philadelphia’s Kensington High School and John B. Stetson School, Dr. Lajara has earned accolades for developing positive school culture, increasing attendance and showing academic growth in key content areas. As a result of this transition, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Tamara Thomas Smith will lead all K-6 curricular efforts with our K-12 supervisors.

Lajara succeeds Dr. Ray McFall, who resigned from his position in August after three years.

Dr. Lajara has a bachelor’s in elementary education; a master’s in educational administration; and a doctorate in educational leadership from Gwynedd Mercy University. He resides in Jenkintown with his family.