Business Administrator Says Goodbye

Tuesday marks the last day of the school year for many students, but it's also the final day for the school district's business administrator. Marlene Wendolowski, who has served in the role for nearly nine years, is retiring.

"It's the right time to retire for my family and for myself," she said.

Wendolowski has had an amazing career: After spending 13 years raising her family, she opened a women's health spa that she owned and operated for six years. After that, she found a job managing the northern territory for Stanley Kaplan Educational Centers, and after that, managing the Bergen County Office of Education.

"The superintendent encouraged me to go back to school and get my degree and offered me the opportunity to be mentored by the county business administrator," she said. "I was blessed to have some wonderful mentors. I've been very fortunate with the people who have been brought into my life to help me get to the career I have."

Wendolowski recalled a superintentendent in Rochelle Park "who took a chance on me before I was even fully certified."

This began her career as a school business administrator: she worked in Parsippany, moved on to Bergen County, transferred to Morris County and then returned to Parsippany.

She said she loves the job, but it has its difficulties.

"The size and the complexity of the district and the diversity of the community adds a lot of different issues that come to the table on a daily basis that makes the job very challenging," she said. "We have had wonderful opportunities, great administrators who've been able to strengthen the whole district itself. We try to meet the needs of the community, the staff, the children, and sometimes we can't do it all. I guess for me that's the hardest part, keeping the balance and seeing the whole picture.

"Everyone has their own key issues, but I have to look at the whole picture financiallly, ethically and morally," she added. "That's a challenge with a district this large. We have remarkable children and teachers and parents, but it does take the entire community. And I salute the board members, they have a really tough job, unpaid, often thankless. It's a very difficult role they take on, and I commend them for it."

And her colleagues commend her in return.

Superintendent LeRoy Seitz said that Wendolowski is one of the finest people he's worked with over the last four decades. 

"Her dedication to our students, staff and community is unparalleled and reflect her extraordinary integrity and leadership ability.  As a business administrator she demonstrated over the last nine years a level of excellence second to none," he said. "She not only made the welfare and safety of our students and staff her number one priority but she demonstrated it by improving our buildings, insuring the safety of our students that ride our buses and managing a budget and massive $48 million renovation and expansion project with a level of expertise that will be almost impossible to duplicate."

The administrator said she is proud of what she's accomplished.

"I spent quite a bit of time in the schools and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the remarkable art work and programs displayed throughout the buildings. There is always such excitement on the school level with all of that learning going on, it really makes me feel proud," she said. "To be part of the referendum was wonderful, knowing that we will be able to provide for the long term future of the children of Parsippany and bring more of our special education children back.  That was really a major accomplishment."

Board of Education member Gary Martin said, "Ms. Wendolowski is a true professional inevery sense of  the word and she will be missed by many."

"Mrs.  Wendolowski is an outstanding business administrator," said Director of Personnel Matthew McGrath.  "She is skilled in all aspects of her multi-faceted job and is a valuable member of our administrative team.  She leaves behind very difficult shoes to fill and will be missed."

"Our district is better today because of Mrs. Wendolowski," added Dr. Seitz. "She has left a legacy of excellence that we all strive to attain but that few if any will be able to match.”

Wendolowski said the best thing about being business administrator was her co-workers.

"I'm blessed to work with wonderful people," she said. "It's very rare to work with people who become your good friends. We are almost like family." 

Most immediately, Wendolowski plans to relax.

"We're going to go play for the summer. We're fortunate enough to have a small home in Florida, so we'll spend the summer there just relaxing and unwinding," she said. "In the fall I would like to work as an interim business administrator I'd like to do that for a while if the opportunity presented itself."