John Longo retires after a 20-plus year run in the South Brunswick school district.
By: Rebecca Tokarz
After 20-plus winters of being on snow-covered roadways as early as 2 a.m. to help school officials decide if it’s safe to have school that day, John Longo is ready to hang up his Nextel communicator and relax.
"It’ll be nice to get up in the morning and to have a cup of coffee, read the paper and not have to go anywhere," he said.
On Sept. 1, Mr. Longo will retire as director of buildings, grounds and transportation for the South Brunswick school district a job he’s held for 22 years. He has served the district for 36 years total, including three years as a physical education teacher and assistant coach for high school wrestling and baseball in the late 1960s and 11 years as director of athletics at the high school.
Prior to joining South Brunswick school district, Mr. Longo taught physical education and science at the old Jamesburg High School.
Mr. Longo has been a part of the evolution of the current high school, Crossroads North Middle School, Constable, Brunswick Acres, Indian Fields and Brooks Crossing elementary schools. Those are things he won’t soon forget.
"Things I’ve done, I can see," he said. "Being a part of all that growth it’s not something you miss, it’s something you look back on."
Although rarely seen by members of the South Brunswick school community, Mr. Longo manages a group of employees who work to keep 11 school buildings and their grounds in tip-top shape, a task that proves challenging in the winter months because of the twists and turns provided by Mother Nature. Mr. Longo also was partly responsible for making decisions regarding snow days.
"In the 1980s, we had one snowstorm that closed the district for three days. We had to use two township vehicles to help us get the snow away from the schools because it was packed so high," he said.
Managing has become much easier thanks to modern technology.
"I don’t know how we did without it," Mr. Longo said motioning over to his Macintosh G4 computer. "It helps you retrieve information quicker and we can be more efficient when doing bids it’s most helpful."
He said that at first, using a computer didn’t prove efficient because it took such a long time to input archives into the system.
"You have to invest time to save time," Mr. Longo said.
He’s also linked electronically to the Police Department, school administrators and some of the district’s mechanics through a Nextel portable communicator, which Mr. Longo said cuts down dramatically on the amount of time it takes to take care of some emergencies.
With all the technology and changes he’s experienced while in the district, Mr. Longo said some of memorable moments came when he worked with students on the athletic fields, including the 1980 South Brunswick High School baseball team winning the state championship.
"That closed out my career before moving forward," Mr. Longo said.
Another highlight was having the honor of reading the dedication of Mike Elko Stadium at the high school, now Crossroads South. Mr. Elko was a coach and history teacher at the high school while Mr. Longo served as athletic director.
"He was a great mentor and a great guy to talk to," Mr. Longo said.
As for his approaching retirement, Mr. Longo said he’s looking forward traveling, trapshooting, seeing his grandchildren and spending more time with his wife, Marsha. He’ll also continue to serve on the Jamesburg Borough Council.
Mr. Longo was elected to his first term on the council last November and said being part of the borough’s government has been a "life-altering experience" that’s a far cry from working for the South Brunswick Board of Education.
He said he plans to continue his personal education this summer by taking a governmental class at Rutgers University to learn more about the duties and responsibilities of being a councilman.
"No matter how much you think you know, there’s more to learn," he said.

