Board Names Kievit Permanent Superintendent, Then Reverses Kindergarten Staffing Move After Parent Uproar

The Glen Ridge Board of Education voted March 18 to appoint Acting Superintendent Winnie Kievit as permanent Superintendent of Schools, capping an eight-month process that included review of 52 resumes for the post. Kievit began her career as a chemistry teacher at Glen Ridge High School and spent 15 years as director of technology and curriculum before being named acting superintendent in July 2025; Board President Elisabeth Ginsburg noted Kievit is the first woman to lead the district in 25 years, and personnel committee chair Anthony Bonnett said her career "demonstrates what meaningful evolution looks like in education." The board also introduced Kimberly O'Donnell Pickert as the new principal of Central School, with her appointment set for a board vote.

The meeting's most contentious moment came over a kindergarten staffing change at Central School. Three residents -- Catherine Allen, Nina Kundra and Rich Kus -- told the board they had been repeatedly assured, including in a December 12 email from the acting principal and in a board agenda listing her assignment through June 30, that leave-replacement teacher Hannah Legotte would remain in her classroom through the end of the school year for consistency's sake while the regularly assigned teacher, Ms. Applebee, was out. Parents said they were blindsided to learn Legotte would instead leave April 17, roughly eight weeks early, and received inconsistent explanations that varied between "standard practice" and budget constraints; Kundra noted that if the district could find $82,000 in the budget for copier replacements, it should be able to find a way to preserve stability for a kindergarten class. A fourth resident, Jesse Gonzki, told the board the commitment "wasn't just a promise made in passing, it was on the record" and asked whether Legotte could remain in some part-time or transitional capacity. Board member Darius Dehnad then made a motion, seconded by Luke Franklin, to rescind the portion of the personnel action revising Legotte's end date so the board could gather more information before its April 7 meeting; it passed 8-0, with Kristin O'Neil absent. Dehnad noted the underlying staffing change actually affects two leave-replacement teachers, though board members said they could not discuss further personnel specifics in open session.

The board accepted the recommendation of the superintendent on two Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying investigations at Ridgewood Avenue School; one was found not substantiated, while the other was found substantiated.

The board approved a $44.2 million tentative budget for the 2026-2027 school year, reflecting a 2.7% tax levy increase that includes a 7% health-benefits cap exception. Business Administrator Barbara Murphy said the owner of a home assessed at the borough's new average of about $1.2 million, following this year's townwide reassessment, would see an estimated $387 annual increase, or about $32 a month. The budget includes a $300,000 maintenance reserve withdrawal for roof, door, window and floor projects at several schools and a $1,632,505 capital reserve withdrawal for a roof replacement at Glen Ridge High School. A public hearing and final budget adoption are scheduled for April 28. Separately, the district's insurer reimbursed the district approximately $481,000, nearly the full cost after deductible, for last year's Central School chiller failure.

The district is also adding a fourth Pre-K section at Linden Avenue School due to increased enrollment and a seventh first-grade section at Forest Avenue School in response to parent concerns about class size. The board accepted a $2,000 anonymous donation to settle student lunch debts, about $750 from the Ridgewood Avenue Home & School Association for a TV and candy, and $454.74 from the Central School Home & School Association for a book vending machine.

Action items

• Appointed Winnie Kievit as Superintendent of Schools
• Voted 8-0 to rescind a personnel action moving up leave-replacement teacher Hannah Legotte's end date, pending further review before the April 7 meeting
• Approved a $44.2 million tentative 2026-2027 budget with a 2.7% tax levy increase; public hearing set for April 28
• Approved a $1,632,505 capital reserve withdrawal for a Glen Ridge High School roof replacement
• Found HIB substantiated in one Ridgewood Avenue School investigation and not substantiated in a second

Watch key moments

• 52:00 — Parent Nina Kundra asks why the district can find $82,000 for copiers but not stability for a kindergarten class
• 1:18:51 — Jesse Gonzki tells the board his son listed "Miss Legatti" among the things he's grateful for on a school assignment
• 1:23:34 — Darius Dehnad moves live, mid-meeting, to rescind the personnel action after hearing parents' objections