School's Super Search Continues in Hopatcong

The search for a new superintendent continues, Hopatcong school board president Clifford Lundin said.

Superintendent Charles Maranzano Jr. is leaving at the end of the current school year, and Lundin said previously the board received 32 applications, and interviewed six candidates.

One candidate was asked back for a second round of interviews, he said, “but there is no consensus.”

The board is considering all options, including hiring a temporary superintendent, Lundin said. He said the board is planning a special meeting on April 29 to continue discussions on the opening.

In other business, the board set the agenda for the April 22 meeting when it  authorized for a vote several annual appointments, including board secretary.

Lundin said these are board actions which were once performed as part of the annual reorganization meeting following the spring school board election.  Beginning with last year’s election, Hopatcong now holds its school board election in November, and no longer puts the annual budget up for voter approval. 

Board member Susan Madar questioned why board secretary Theresa Sierchio, in her role as district purchasing agent, was allowed to award contracts up to a threshold of $36,000.

Sierchio said the purchasing agent, by state law, is allowed to award bids in order to keep the day-to-day operations of the school district running.

She said the state raised the contract limit to $36,000 three years ago.

Maranzano said Sierchio is required to seek quotes from qualified businesses  before approving any purchase. Such contracts include book purchases, chairs and similar supplies, she said.

She said basic district  operation would slow to a crawl if she had to seek full board approval for each contract. Any such purchases are presented to the board’s facilities committee, Sierchio said.