Westwood School Board to Appoint Acting Superintendent For Remainder of School Year

Westwood Regional Schools may have a new superintendent through the end of the school year.

The school board is scheduled to vote Thursday on appointing current Director of Elementary Education and District Technology Rory McCourt as the acting superintendent through June 30.

McCourt was already credited as the acting superintendent in a letter to parents sent after the recent school shootings in Connecticut.

There is no mention of Superintendent Geoffrey Zoeller in the meeting's agenda.

The board is also scheduled to vote to suspend with pay an unnamed employee while an investigation is ongoing.

The board has been investigating Zoeller since he took home a district-owned truck and generator for Hurricane Sandy. They have held several closed session meetings to discuss Zoeller.

Many district residents have called for Zoeller to resign, including Westwood Education Association President Barry Albert. The WEA voted 222-19 in having "no confidence" in Zoeller last month.

"We can only hope that Zoeller does the honorable thing and steps down," Albert said.

Zoeller has apparently been out of the district for several weeks. Rumors circulated that he was forced to take a leave of absence, but Zoeller had told Patch he was "taking some vacation time."

Board President Carol Mountain and Zoeller were not immediately available to comment.

The board is scheduled to hold another closed meeting after their public meeting to discuss "personnel, litigious, and negotiation matters."

The Westwood Regional Board of Education meets at Westwood Jr./Sr. High School Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Correction at 5:58 p.m.: The board will vote to suspend an unnamed employee with pay, not without as was originally written.

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