Ponds Gets New Contract As Montclair School Superintendent

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Jonathan Ponds will return as the superintendent of the Montclair Public School District.

On Monday evening, the Montclair Board of Education approved a five-year term for Ponds at a special meeting, which included a public hearing on his contract extension.

Ponds’ new contact takes effect July 1 and will run through June 30, 2029. He was first appointed to the job in 2020.

“I am honored to continue serving the Montclair community,” Ponds said.

“Together, we have achieved remarkable milestones, and we are poised to reach even greater heights,” the superintendent continued. “Our collective efforts will ensure that every student has the resources and support they need to thrive.”

Ponds will earn $231,000 annually under the new contract, with a 3 percent salary increase each year, Montclair Local reported.

Montclair – a town that has seen a steady stream of school superintendents over the past years – may now see the same person at the helm of the district for a full decade.

The board of education alluded to the district’s history of cycling through superintendents in a news release about Ponds’ contract:

“The district has been through many changes in leadership. Ponds has been instrumental in establishing a consistency in administration during his term driving significant improvements across the district such as a strengthened focus on student well-being and increased opportunities for success after high school with dual enrollment and certification programming, technology upgrades which include the one-to-one initiative where every student has a device, implementation of a curriculum-based assessment with a comprehensive multi-tiered system of supports for interventions, and a focus on equity and inclusion through professional development and culturally responsive training. Additionally, his appointments of key personnel throughout Central Office are geared toward more support for the schools. Directors in the Equity, Curriculum and Instruction Department have dual offices at schools and Central Office.”

“I am pleased we are on a consistent and stable path forward,” board president Melanie Deysher said.

“We are encouraged that Dr. Ponds will continue to lead our district as superintendent,” Deysher added, praising achievements such as a “zero-debt service tax levy” and labor agreements involving Montclair’s landmark 2022 bond referendum, and a recent partnership that will bring free adult job training classes to the high school.

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