Superintendent Set To Leave West Morris Regional Schools

CHESTER, NJ — The West Morris Regional High School District is bracing for another leadership transition as Superintendent Barbara Sargent announces her upcoming retirement.

The news, which came as a surprise, was revealed at the West Morris Regional High School Board of Education meeting on Monday evening.

Sargent is retiring effective April 1, 2025.

Sargent, who joined the West Morris Regional High School District in 2023, succeeded longtime superintendent Michael Ben-David, who resigned earlier that year after serving the district since 2015.

A 1986 graduate of Rutgers University, Sargent began her career as a 7th-grade Language Arts and Social Studies teacher in the West Windsor-Plainsboro School District. Over the years, she has held leadership roles in several New Jersey communities, including Somerset Hills, Montgomery Township, Madison and Readington Township.

She has also published articles on women's leadership, literacy instruction, and effective leadership practices in both state and national educational journals.

Before joining West Morris, Sargent served as the Superintendent of Schools for the Parsippany-Troy Hills Township School District for over four years.

The West Morris Regional High School Board of Education has not yet made any public comments regarding the process for selecting a new superintendent.

The West Morris Regional School District, which serves grades nine through 12 at West Morris Central and Mendham high schools, has an enrollment of approximately 2,240 students.

This announcement comes on the heels of news that Christina Van Woert, the superintendent of the Chester School District, will also be retiring in the new year.

Van Woert's decision to retire follows 20 years of dedicated service to the Chester School District and its students, as well as 35 years in education overall.

"I hope that over the past twenty years I have been able to enrich their lives as well and have pointed them towards a path of lifelong happiness and fulfillment. That was always my only purpose," Van Woert said in a message to the school board.

Van Woert's final day serving the district will be March 31, 2025, officials said.