Amy Wentworth to leave New Phila, return home as Indian Valley superintendent
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (Jan. 29, 2026) – New Philadelphia School District Superintendent Amy Wentworth will leave her post at the end of this school year to become the next superintendent of the Indian Valley Local School District.
The Indian Valley School Board unanimously approved Wentworth’s hiring Thursday. She will replace her husband, Ira Wentworth, who is set to retire at the conclusion of the school year.
Board President Bob Hall said the district received nine applications for the position and emphasized that Wentworth was the only candidate with prior superintendent experience.
“She’s extremely qualified,” Hall said, adding that her relationship to the retiring superintendent played no role in the decision. “The job of the board is to hire the best person.”
Hall also stressed that Ira Wentworth had no involvement in the selection process for his replacement.
“All of the people who applied were quality people,” Hall said. “We had some really great folks to pick from, and that’s what you want.”
Amy Wentworth is a graduate of Indian Valley and called the move a return home. She was part of the first graduating class of Indian Valley High School following the consolidation of the former Indian Valley North and South high schools.
“She wanted to come home,” Hall said. “And whether people believe it or not, Indian Valley is a special place. Love us or hate us, it’s a special place, and we’re proud of what we do.”
Wentworth has spent the past 17 years at New Philadelphia City Schools and said the decision to leave was not an easy one. She referred to New Philadelphia as her “adopted” district and said she loves the Quakers.
Her current contract with New Philadelphia runs through the end of the 2026–27 school year. However, under the contract terms, a superintendent may leave at the end of any school year. On Thursday, Wentworth submitted her resignation to the New Philadelphia Board of Education, effective July 31.
She said she plans to remain fully committed to New Philadelphia until then, including her work to inform voters about the planned income tax issue on the May ballot that would fund construction of two new school buildings.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Wentworth said. “I’m not ready to sign off from New Phila yet.”
Wentworth also noted she doesn’t mind continuing to work while her husband enters retirement. She said she entered teaching before Ira but stepped away for about nine years to stay home with their children when they were younger.
“He’s reached that magic retirement number,” she said. “I haven’t yet.”
The New Philadelphia Board of Education is expected to formally vote to accept Wentworth’s resignation at an upcoming meeting and will then begin the search for the district’s next superintendent.