Justin Arthur started as a teacher at Altoona Area Junior High School before transferring to Hollidaysburg Area High School to be their technology director. Now he is back in Altoona, stepping into the role of the technology director after Bryce Cossiter’s retirement.
Arthur’s interest in tech all started with teaching.
“I was always helping integrate technology into the classroom and fix computers,” Arthur said.
Over time his interest turned into a career. In Hollidaysburg, Arthur led a much smaller team but gained some valuable experience, which helped prepare him for his current position.
“I’ve learned from mistakes, and I’ve learned from success as well,” Arthur said. “It gives you experience to lean back on and continue to grow.”
Returning to Altoona was important to him.
“It just felt like coming back home to me,” Arthur said.
He is excited to work with the staff and students again and his children are students in the district. A highlight of his career was at Hollidaysburg when the district was recognized as a Google for Education reference district which was a major achievement for him.
“It showed we were on the right track,” Arthur said.
He also shared his thoughts on future technology and how he believes AI will continue to grow.
“AI is continuing to expand and grow,” Arthur said. “We’re going to want to look at where exactly it fits within the school day.”
To keep organized, Arthur relies on “Google Keep” to track his tasks and ideas throughout the day so nothing’s forgotten.
As he continues in his new role he hopes to keep improving the district’s technology and support both teachers and students.
According to Human Resources Director Adam Kaack, the hiring process is a long process of choosing who is the strongest and best fit for the position.
“In any hiring process, when we have a vacancy, we post the position to generate interest,” Kaack said. “That posting circulates so candidates can apply through the website and show interest.”
The district considers both external and internal candidates.
“We often have candidates from both internal and external spaces, and then we go through an interview panel process,” Kaack said. “We screen candidates, select who we want to interview, and each candidate goes through a structured interview where they are asked the same questions.”
They had to have a longer interview process due to the position.
“This was a harder interview process because this is a higher-level position at the district,” Kaack said.
After all interviews were completed the interviewees were evaluated by a rubric scoring.
“Once the structured interviews take place and all candidates have their opportunity, the decision is made internally based on a scoring rubric to determine the best fit for the district,” Kaack said. “He had a specific experience, compared to the other candidates, he had already served in this role at Hollidaysburg, and that set him apart.”
