Pascack Valley Regional High School District has hired Warren County Schools Manager Sarah Bilotti to replace superintendent Erik Gundersen, who resigned a year ago.
Bilotti is expected to start on July 1. She is currently superintendent of the North Warren Regional School District, where she served for nearly seven years. She holds a Bachelor of Education from Penn State University and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Lehigh University.
“I was really drawn to Pascack’s vision of fostering a culture of innovation,” Bilotti said. the district vision statement calls for a culture of “innovation, research and individuality”.
“I so look forward to collaborating with students and staff to maintain this mindset,” she said, adding that she believes in expanding innovation to support learning and “student-centered teaching practices”.
“It’s about listening to and supporting students and making sure all students find the success they want in their high school careers,” she said.
Bilotti, who is an adjunct professor and doctoral student at Drexel University, has also done policy work on curriculum, mental health and equity for students.
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Board of Education President Joseph Blundo said, “We did a pretty extensive search,” after which six finalists were narrowed down to three. “I would say we definitely directed the search consultants to make sure we had a diverse list of candidates,” he said.
The hardest part of the process for the nine board members, Blundo said, was “each of them could have done a fantastic job, each had certain areas that were strong.”
But, “I think she brings a fresh look,” Blundo said of Bilotti.
The Pascack Valley District attracts students from Woodcliff Lake, Montvale, Hillsdale, and River Vale who attend its two high schools, Pascack Hills and Pascack Valley.
During the search process, many residents and students in the district said that the important qualities for a new superintendent were positivity and the ability to unite the community.
“Sarah absolutely has the ability to bring people together,” Blundo said. “It’s something that I think came through very clearly in the process. The public will appreciate that she’s involved in the community, people know her by sight, by name, and frankly, they [North Warren Regional School District] were very disappointed to learn that she was considering leaving.”
Shaylah Brown is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
E-mail: browns@northjersey.com
Twitter: @shaylah_brown
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