Hillsborough Superintendent Dr. Jorden Schiff Abruptly Retires

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Hillsborough Township Schools Superintendent Dr. Jorden Schiff abruptly resigned and will retire effective Oct. 1.

His retirement announcement was made during the Sept. 16 Board of Education meeting following a closed session. Schiff did not attend the meeting.

The board passed a resolution accepting the resignation and appointed Dr. Lisa M. Antunes as acting superintendent.

With ongoing financial troubles, fighting over the teachers contract and the rejection of the school referendum in March, this year has been rough.

• See Related: State To Step In As Hillsborough Contract Remains Unsettled
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• Related: Hillsborough Schools Passes $130M Budget, To Lay Off 37 Staffers
• Related: Voters Reject Hillsborough $8.09M School Referendum

Board member Jean Truillo alluded to the fact that Schiff resigned following mental stress associated with a campaign launched against him including two letters circulated about him this weekend.

"I want to address this surprise. Dr. Schiff and I have not always agreed on numerous issues but the way his resignation was tendered — it's very upsetting," Truillo said at the Sept. 16 meeting. "I think the community is aware of what happened with the campaign against our superintendent. This is not the way the community should behave. I think you all should be ashamed for not supporting our superintendent even though we may not agree with him."

Truillo noted how board meetings have been so stressful to the point where she even had to go to a cardiologist.

Board member Joyce Eldridge-Howard concurred that over the past months the meetings have "taken a turn which is certainly out of character in a public forum like this. Regardless of the circumstances we are all professionals and know we all care about the students and each other."

"Dr. Schiff is a leader who cares, is knowledgeable and is person whose focus was to make sure the students were learning and achieving at high levels and has great respect for the teachers. He was supportive of the teachers in so many ways. When I read those two letters I was saddened for a lot of what was written was undeserving and not written in a good spirit," Eldridge-Howard said at the meeting.

Schiff had served as superintendent for the district since 2011 and was selected as the Somerset County Superintendent of the Year in 2015.

"Serving as your superintendent for the past eight years has been one of the most professionally rewarding experiences of my career. We have provided more access to technology for our students, included Mandarin Chinese instruction beginning in first grade, and focused on equity by making Instructional Rounds a common practice throughout the district. Hillsborough High School graduates 98 percent of our students with 92 percent continuing their studies at colleges and universities throughout our country. The number of students taking Advanced Placement courses continues to increase. The latest national rankings find Hillsborough Township Public Schools #15 in New Jersey, a state just ranked by Quality Counts as No. 1 in the nation. Our accomplishments have been a team effort, and I am very proud of the work of our faculty, staff, administration, Board of Education, parents, and most of all, our students," Schiff said in a statement.

Antunes will take over as acting superintendent on Oct. 1. She has been with the district as Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction since 2005, and previously served as Acting Superintendent of Schools in 2007.

Antunes began her career in public schools as a special education teacher in Hillside. Prior to working in Hillsborough, Antunes served as assistant superintendent of Schools in Jefferson Township.

You can watch the Sept. 16 board meeting below. The superintendent's resignation is announced beginning at four minutes:

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