'Retired' Schools Super Slides Into Vernon Top Slot

Former Hopatcong Schools superintendent Charles Maranzano, who retired from the district on June 30, has taken the same job with Vernon Township Schools on an interim basis.

Maranzano was approved as the district’s stop-gap chief administrator on July 18 by the board of education, just weeks after the district’s current superintendent, Dr. John Alfieri, announced his resignation.

The life-long educator and administrator was offered a two-year interim contract from Vernon Township, which includes an “out” clause, meaning either side can opt out of the contract when desired, according to business administrator Steven Kepnes.

“It’s the intention of the board to begin searching for a full-time replacement immediately,” Kepnes told Patch.

Under the state legislation that ties superintendent pay to school district size, Maranzano will be paid $167,500 per year on a prorated basis, Kepnes said. Rather than receiving a salary, Maranzano will be paid a day rate for his work.

Maranzano will not, however, be receiving health and pension benefits from the school district.

Kepnes said a slew of resumes and inquiries were sent to the district after Alfieri announced his resignation, which happened May 21, and included Maranzano’s.

The former Hopatcong School chief oversaw the district for four years, manning a ship that saw hatchet-sized cuts in state aid and a drop in Department of Education report card metrics. A drop in personnel was also needed and programs were cut.

In a first-person interview with Patch last month, Maranzano said, “I’ll be leaving a profession after 40 years; a profession I spent a lifetime in with a leadership role. I’ll still be looking to correct a wrong or articulate something positive. This will be bittersweet.”

In an announcement to the community, the Vernon Township Schools website said, "Dr. Maranzano prides himself on a high level of visibility in the classroom and an extremely close connection to the teaching-learning environment ... Please join us in welcoming Dr. Charles “Chuck” Maranzano to his new position. Plans for the school community to meet Dr. Maranzano will be discussed in the coming weeks."

The Hopatcong Board of Education approved a five-year contract for Cynthia Randino as the district’s new superintendent, whose first day was July 1.

Maranzano’s first day on the job in Vernon Township is August 1.