Schools

Board of Ed Meets With Candidates for Interim Superintendent Role

District still considering options for O'Neill's replacement.

The Board of Education has met with candidates for the position of interim superintendent, Board President Steve Barna said Thursday.

"We've met with several candidates for the interim position, but we're still exploring our options," Barna said.

Superintendent Jim O'Neill announced on March 24 that he would retire from his position once his current contract expires on June 30. He first indicated that he would retire at the Feb. 28 meeting, at which point the board did not take action.

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Once the board addresses O'Neill's retirement, they will have three options on how to proceed. "We can either conduct a superintendent search, or we could appoint or look for an interim superintendent to help us on a per diem basis, or we could even consider bringing [Assistant Superintendent Michael] LaSusa forward as an acting superintendent," Barna said.

O'Neill and Long Hill Superintendent Rene Rovtar currently are awaiting a court date for their lawsuit against the State Department of Education, the former and present Acting Commissioner of Education and Morris County Executive Superintendent Kathleen Serafino.

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Rovtar and O'Neill are suing on the grounds that the salary caps imposed by the state, which went into effect Feb. 7, are unconstitutional and "a usurpation of the power of the legislature," according to their attorney Maria Lepore.

"I anticipate the legal case going forward," O'Neill said. "My retirement will not derail the case."

On Wednesday, an article published by NJ.com stated that O'Neill planned to run for a seat in the state legislature.


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