New Business Admin Hired To Manage Bernards Schools' Finances In 2023

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — A new Business Administrator was appointed by the Bernards Township Board of Education on Monday night to handle the district's finances in 2023.

James Rollo was hired as the District Business Administrator/Board Secretary at a salary of $215,000 effective March 6, 2023 through June 30, 2023.

Rollo had previously served in the district as Director of Technology and the Assistant Business Administrator for 10 years from 2004 through 2014.

He then went on to work as a Business Administrator for Mendham Borough Board of Education and Morris County Vocational Technical School District.

"Thank you very much to the Board and the Superintendent. It was a great 10 years in my first stint here. I enjoyed it and I am looking forward to it again. Hoping to do another 10 years here," said Rollo at the meeting.

Rollo would be replacing School Business Administrator/Board Secretary Roderic McLaughlin. However, Rollo can not start until March 6.

With McLaughlin's contract ending on Dec. 31, 2022, the Board also appointed Assistant Business Administrator Beth Brooks to Acting Business Administrator to fill the gap until Rollo starts.

Brooks was making a salary of $152,250 as Assistant Business Administrator which will then increase to $205,538 effective Jan. 1, 2023 while serving as Acting Business Administrator.

Superintendent Nick Markarian praised Rollo and his qualifications.

"Mr. Rollo is extremely intelligent and very talented and we are very fortunate to have him be here tonight and to be interested in working in our district," said Markarian.

Resident Todd Edelstein questioned the salary amounts being issued to Rollo and also to the Acting Business Administrator Beth Brooks who will fill the gap until Rollo starts.

"At $205,000 that is way more than the Chief of Police makes a year in this town. It’s not like they are controlling the whole school, they dont have a big staff. It's a lot of friggin money and when I am paying it, it bothers me," said Edelstein.

Markarian noted that the job of the Business Administrator and Board Secretary requires more work than most notice.

"I think that there is a perception that isn't really necessarily understood in the role of a school business administrator and a board secretary. That job is the Chief Financial Officer of the district. They are responsible essentially for all of the noninstructional activities that the district undertakes," said Markarian. "So it is a very large responsibility and really requires the talents of someone who can handle a big workload, be a good communicator, and is really intelligent. We are very lucky to have those qualities in Mr. Rollo."

Rollo has a BA in History from the College of New Jersey and an MBA in Business Administration from Quinnipiac University. He is a certified classroom teacher, supervisor of instruction, and also held the world's premier cybersecurity certification: the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), according to mcvts.org.

He also holds a Master's degree in Information Technology from Capella University and was inducted into the Upsilon Pi Epsilon Honor's Society for the Computing and Information Disciplines while working on his Ph.D at Nova Southeastern University, according to mcvts.org.

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