During its council meeting on Wednesday night, it was announced that Superintendent and Principal of Grace M. Breckwedel Middle School, Dr. Gail Verona will resign in June.
By Amy Batista, Special Writer
JAMESBURG — During its council meeting on Wednesday night, it was announced that Superintendent and Principal of Grace M. Breckwedel Middle School, Dr. Gail Verona will resign in June.
Councilman Sandy Sussman announced during his Education Committee report that Dr. Verona had “tendered her resignation” from her $148,120 per year job.
”At the last (Board of Education) meeting, Dr. Verona, our principal and superintendent has tendered her resignation as of the end of this school year,” said Councilman Sussman adding there is no information yet as to who would replace her.
The resignation was announced during the Oct. 24 board meeting, he said.
”I announced it during the committee reviews,” said Jamesburg Board of Education President Salvatore Brucato in an email Thursday morning.
According to Mr. Brucato, the board has “agreed not to make any reasons public.” Dr. Verona will stay on until June 30 of 2014 when her contract expires.
Dr. Verona was hired in 2007 with a four-year contract then extended to a three-year contract giving her a total of seven years serving as the superintendent.
”As far as moving forward, the board has secured the New Jersey School Boards Association to aide in the search process,” Mr. Brucato said. “This has already commenced with advertisements through NJ School Boards as well as in the Newark Star Ledger for three weekends with the first being this past weekend. The process is quite lengthy and interviews will begin in late January or early February.”
The key to this process is feedback from the community and staff, which will take place on Dec. 9.
”The staff will meet with NJ School Boards at 3 p.m. on this day to discuss what they would like to see in their next leader and this will be followed by a meeting with the community at 7:30 p.m. at the John F. Kennedy Elementary School (JFK) gymnasium.”
The association will run the meeting with “no board involvement,” according to Mr. Brucato.
”The results of these meetings will then be compiled and shared with the board to review and select the criteria for interviews, questioning and evaluation,” Mr. Brucato added.
There will be one “major” criteria when it comes to hiring the next Superintendent.
”The next superintendent will be only the superintendent and not the principal of our Middle School,” Mr. Brucato said. “The current board feels this will ensure a separation of authority and allow the superintendent to focus on the big picture items such improving the quality of our programs to line up with new and anticipated curriculum standards, closing achievement gaps, engaging the community and the staff to go above and beyond where we have been in the past.”
”The board would like to thank Dr. Verona for her services through one of the most difficult periods in Jamesburg where significant budget cuts and the send/receive issue that continues to lurk over us,” Mr. Brucato said.
The board acknowledged the perseverance of Dr. Verona, as she worked to continue the arts programs for the students in the district.
”One of her goals was to continue the arts programs as she as well as the board feel that is a critical piece of rounding a student,” Mr. Brucato said. “While this was not easy, we continue to make it happen and Dr. Verona was the driving force behind that. We wish her good luck in her future endeavors and will continue to work together to make this year a complete success.”
Dr. Verona could not be reached as of press time.