By Greg Forester, Staff Writer
MONTGOMERY — The 2008-2009 school year will be the first with new Superintendent Earl Kim at the helm, who joins the high-performing Montgomery Township School District along with a handful of other new administrators.
Mr. Kim, who was appointed to the position in April following a stint as superintendent of the Verona district in Essex County, will fill the shoes of successor and longtime friend Sam Stewart after Dr. Stewart served as the interim superintendent for the district for a period of two years.
In a statement released for the start of school on Thursday, Mr. Kim said he intends to undertake a district and communitywide critique of the district’s mission, vision, and core beliefs, as a follow-up to Mr. Stewart’s Conversations With The Community program of earlier this year.
In addition to the appointment of a newcomer, Mr. Kim, to the lead the district, there will also be old faces in new places this year at several schools.
Orchard Hill Elementary School will welcome new Assistant Principal Kathleen Scotti. Besides teaching pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade at various New Jersey schools, Ms. Scotti has taught first grade at Orchard Hill, while also serving as a teacher leader and the reading recovery/literacy support teacher.
She will be entering her ninth year with the district.
The district’s Upper Middle School will welcome new Assistant Principal Jason Burr, who has spent eight years with the district teaching the sixth and eighth grades.
Among the newcomers is Noreen Lazariuk, who will be starting her first year as an assistant principal at Montgomery High School. She recently graduated with a master’s degree in administration and supervision from Montclair State University, after years of teaching at schools in Mountain Lakes.
Ms. Lazariuk has previous experience teaching health, physical education, and driver education, and has served as the coach of various school sports teams.

