New Superintendent Chosen For Washington Township Schools

LONG VALLEY, NJ - The Washington Township Board of Education unanimously extended an offer of employment to Dr. Peter Turnamian during the Board of Education meeting on Wednesday night.

The contract for Turnamian, who has served as the Superintendent of the Rockaway Township School District, will begin on or around Nov. 1 and run through June 30, 2026, with a salary of $190,000, prorated for the 2021-2022 school year.

Dr. Laura Morana began serving as the Interim Superintendent, after the retirement of Superintendent Jeffrey Mohre.

In July, Board President Jessica DeCicco announced that there were 36 applications initially received, four that hadn’t met the minimum job qualifications and two that didn’t continue in the process. The week of July 12, the Board interviewed six qualified candidates, planning to make the final hiring decision in mid-August.

Board Member Carmine Capogrosso described the selection process during the board meeting as having been an “exhausting few days,” with board members evaluating the candidates.

The board, DeCicco said at the start of Wednesday’s meeting, made their decision based on survey feedback they received from Washington Township families.

In getting to know Turnamian, she described him as a “true team player who listens to all stakeholders,” with an extensive background in education, a person who “cares greatly about seeing the children succeed both socially and academically” and someone who would like to become an active member of the community.

When asked during the public session why there was a five-year contract for Turnamian and nothing shorter, as well as if it was a merit-based contract, the Board’s Attorney Stephen Fogarty answered that under the law, superintendent contracts statutorily couldn’t be for any less than three years.

Fogarty also said Turnamian’s contract was actually shy of the five years, with it beginning around Nov. 1.

DeCicca said many Boards of Education statewide are steering from merit-based superintendent contracts, with Fogarty responding that yearly increases will be determined by annual evaluations. Fogarty added that School Boards could additionally choose to withhold a salary increase.

Turnamian took the podium after the vote, thanking the board and telling the audience that he is “100 percent committed to investing long-term” in the community.

His full remarks are in the video segment below.

“I could not be more inspired and excited to begin my service to the Washington Township School Community,” he said.

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Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.