Nick Lorenzetti will be on paid leave of absence beginning Jan. 30. He will continue to receive full pay and benefits through June 30.
By John Tredrea
Citing "recent developments" in his personal and family life, Nick Lorenzetti has resigned as superintendent of the Hopewell Valley Regional School District, effective June 30.
The full school board, which voted unanimously Tuesday night to accept Mr. Lorenzetti’s resignation, also OK’d an agreement under which the outgoing schools chief will be on paid leave of absence beginning Jan. 30. He will continue to receive full pay and benefits through June 30.
Asked Wednesday to comment on his resignation, the superintendent shared with the HVN part of a note he sent to staff members. In that note, he said: "On Jan. 10, I submitted a letter of resignation to the board of education, indicating my need to leave the Hopewell Valley Regional School District effective June 30. Because this decision is based on recent developments in my personal/family life, I also am regrettably requesting a leave of absence effective Jan. 30. As many of you know, I am a person who sometimes freely shares parts of my personal and family life. At this time, however, I must ask that you respect my need for privacy. In my letter to the board I stated that there are times when it becomes necessary to set priorities as our individual lives present various difficulties and challenges."
Mr. Lorenzetti, 56, became superintendent of schools in October 2003. He served as the district’s assistant superintendent of schools for one year prior to that. He is making $146,000 per year as superintendent.
After Jan. 30, Mr. Lorenzetti will continue to work for the district on an occasional consulting basis, primarily by telephone. His rendering of that service is part of the pact under which he will continue to receive full pay and benefits through June 30, which is the end of the district’s fiscal year.
Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education President Bill Hills said having access to Mr. Lorenzetti as a consultant would help the district through the transitional period of finding a new superintendent. The first step in that transition will be hiring an acting superintendent, who will work part-time, as soon as possible. The search for that individual already has begun, Mr. Hills said. The final step will be hiring a permanent replacement for Mr. Lorenzetti.
In a letter of resignation to the board dated Jan. 10, Mr. Lorenzetti said: "There are times when it becomes necessary to set priorities as our individual lives present various difficulties and challenges. As my personal life creates the need for me to choose a different road in terms of my immediate professional career, I would like to express my gratitude to you, the citizenry of Hopewell Valley, and our employees, for your support and availability since my arrival … I am certain that under this board’s capable leadership, the district will continue to prosper."
The board’s attorney, Robert Martinez, said the decision to give Mr. Lorenzetti a five-month paid leave of absence came out of negotiations between Mr. Martinez and Mr. Lorenzetti’s attorney, Andrew Gubiak, who works for the NJ Association of School Administrators. Mr. Martinez said that, at the time of his resignation, Mr. Lorenzetti will have accumulated 25 vacation days and 21 sick days. This is time he could have taken off and for which he would have been paid had he done so.
Mr. Martinez said he thought the deal between the board and the outgoing superintendent was fair. "I think Mr. Lorenzetti approached the board with integrity," the school board attorney said. "He acted honorably."
During a press conference before the board meeting convened, Mr. Hills, the school board president, repeatedly said he could not give any specifics of the reasons for Mr. Lorenzetti’s resignation.
Asked if he would have sought Mr. Lorenzetti’s removal if the superintendent had not resigned, Mr. Hills replied without hesitation: "No." Mr. Lorenzetti’s three-year contract with the district, nullified by the resignation settlement agreement approved by the board Tuesday night, ends June 30, 2007.
Mr. Lorenzetti, who has been in education for 30 years, is the single parent of an adopted daughter of high school age. They live in Magnolia, near Cherry Hill.
The board voted without comment to accept the resignation and accompanying deal. After the vote was cast, Mr. Hills said: "We appreciate the work Nick has done here. He has been very caring of our students and community. We wish him well in his future pursuits."