Glen Ridge Schools Open the Year With Lacrosse Championship Honors, Internal Superintendent Search
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The board accepted the resignation of GRHS drama staffer Christina Alamo, effective September 1, and the voluntary retirement of Ridgewood Avenue School Assistant Principal Jonathan Heitmann, effective December 31. Four separate Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying investigations were found not substantiated, covering one case involving a specific student and three additional reports at Ridgewood Avenue School and the high school; board member Tricia Akinwande abstained on all four votes.
The personnel committee reported it had met with two outside search vendors to help find a permanent superintendent but ultimately decided to run an internally driven search, the same approach the board used last year, citing cost savings and recent experience with the process. The board is aiming to have a permanent superintendent in place by June or July of 2026; Acting Superintendent Winnie Kievit continues to lead the district in the meantime.
Athletic Director Rob Hill led the board in recognizing the boys lacrosse team for winning the 2025 Group I state championship, the program's first chance to be honored publicly given the timing of last spring's title run. Hill recapped the team's postseason, including an overtime win over top-seeded Rumson, a sectional championship win at Caldwell, and a come-from-behind win over longtime rival Mountain Lakes in the state final, with Brad Foster, now at Indiana, scoring the game-winning goal.
Kievit walked the board through a series of summer capital projects completed across the district: paving at Central, Linden Avenue, and Ridgewood Avenue Schools; new flooring and updates to the high school main office; a new HVAC/air conditioning unit installed in the high school cafeteria; epoxy flooring throughout the Ridgewood Avenue School basement; a new playground at Linden Avenue School funded through a Linden Home and School Association donation, a state grant, and board funds; portable air conditioning units placed in Central School classrooms as a stopgap ahead of a chiller replacement planned for spring; and new bleachers being installed at the high school gym.
The board accepted donations including $81,000 from the Glen Ridge Educational Foundation for the "Capturing Kids Hearts" training program, $11,250 from the Foundation for a professional development reading program, roughly $20,000 from the Glen Ridge High School Home and School Association for paint, furniture, and office signage in the high school's main office suite, and $7,540 plus $447.78 from the Central School Home and School Association for a new fence and a TV monitor, respectively. The board also approved a $75,600 credit change order for unused HVAC upgrade allowance at the high school, and financial reports showing $2,082,285.80 in bills and claims and $3,086,642.88 in payroll for July.
The board reached consensus on new district goals focused on teaching and learning, staff and student wellness, and expanding curricular choices at the high school, including new dual-credit and business course offerings, and agreed to develop board goals through committee this month.
Action items
- Accepted the resignation of Christina Alamo (GRHS) and the retirement of Assistant Principal Jonathan Heitmann (RAS, effective 12/31/25)
- Found four HIB investigations not substantiated
- Approved a $75,600 credit change order on high school HVAC upgrades
- Accepted donations totaling roughly $120,000, including $81,000 from the Glen Ridge Educational Foundation for Capturing Kids Hearts training
- Decided to conduct an internally driven superintendent search rather than hire an outside search vendor