Millburn School Board Appoints New Assistant Superintendent

MILLBURN, NJ — The Millburn Board of Education has approved the appointment of John Connolly as assistant superintendent beginning on Jan. 1, 2025.

According to district administrators, Connolly is currently the principal at Millburn Middle School, where he has been its leader since July 2017. Planning for the transition at MMS is underway.

An interim principal will be appointed for the rest of this school year, and administrators will start the search for a permanent principal in the spring. Meanwhile, Connolly will transition slowly and continue to be a touchpoint for the middle school throughout this year, officials said.

District administrators provided the following background information about Connolly:

“Mr. Connolly grew up in Millburn and graduated from Millburn High School. He began his teaching career in Madison, NJ as a Health and Physical Education teacher, ultimately becoming the K-12 Supervisor of Health and Physical Education. He was the Assistant Principal/Dean of Students at Madison High School from 2008 to 2017, when he left to return to Millburn as Middle School Principal.”

District administrators continued:

“In his time at MMS, Mr. Connolly has successfully implemented many initiatives designed to support the social and emotional well-being of students and staff. Included among these are recommendations from Challenge Success for reducing stress, the recognition of MMS as a ‘No Place for Hate School,’ the implementation of a new bell schedule, and efforts to build a greater sense of community in the school through ‘One Millburn.’ As a school administrator, Mr. Connolly has been directly involved with curriculum development, staff development, budgeting, and staffing, all of which will be integral to his new position.”

Connolly received a bachelor of arts in education from Rowan University and a master of arts in education/human services leadership from the College of St. Elizabeth.

“I look forward to continued collaboration with Mr. Connolly in his new role in the central office,” Superintendent of Schools Kate Diskin said, adding that his “deep knowledge of our schools and community will be an incredible asset to the district.”

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