West Orange School Superintendent Announces Resignation

WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange School Superintendent Scott Cascone will be resigning from his post to seek another professional opportunity, he announced Wednesday evening.

Cascone said he will be leaving the West Orange School District no later than April 5, 2022. He said he plans to serve out the remainder of his time with “unflagging commitment.”

In a message to the school community, Cascone said the coronavirus pandemic was one of several factors that led to his decision. The superintendent recently announced that he and a family member tested positive for COVID-19. Read More: West Orange School Superintendent Tests Positive For Coronavirus

Cascone’s full message follows below.

“I am writing to inform you that I will be leaving the West Orange School District no later than April 5, 2022. Over the past two and one-half years, I have had the privilege of serving this community and its children, an honor for which I will always be grateful. My arrival was in response to a number of challenges and concerns that confronted the community and its relationship with its schools. I take great pride in the work we did together, community members, board of education members, staff members and students to create the conditions for success. We worked together, we talked together and we learned together and the outcome was that we became a more effective and successful school district.

“As I look back at our time together, our lives and world were impacted in unimaginable ways by the COVID-19 pandemic. None of us were spared from the continuous impacts and hardships that this epidemic brought us. Being a parent alongside my wife of three school-age daughters, we suffered the same fears and disappointments that all families have endured. It is within this difficult, health-impairing situation that I found the commitment of several hours of travel daily to and from West Orange, when added to the time necessary to move the District forward in a positive direction, incompatible with honoring my commitment to my family. For some time I have struggled with this dilemma and only after much conversation and reflection with my family I have decided to seek another professional opportunity that will allow me to confront the same educational challenges that I find engaging while eliminating the travel time impact on my family.

“I am extremely proud and thankful to have had the opportunity to lead this terrific community through these extremely difficult times and of the work we have been able to accomplish. While my tenure in West Orange may be ending prematurely, this does not minimize what we have done together during this time. Ultimately, this was a professional and personal decision which was arrived at with substantial reflection and conversation with my family.

“I communicated my resignation to the Board of Education earlier tonight, January 5, and will serve out the remainder of my time with unflagging commitment. The district’s initiatives will continue to move forward and I have communicated to the board my dedication to work with them to ensure a smooth transition in leadership.”

The West Orange Board of Education released a joint statement on Thursday, wishing Cascone well in his new endeavors.

The board wrote:

"The West Orange Board of Education wishes to express our gratitude to Dr. J. Scott Cascone for his service to our schools and our community and to offer our best wishes as he pursues a new opportunity with another New Jersey school district. Dr. Cascone has led us through the challenges of COVID-19 while simultaneously laying the groundwork for stability and progress in our schools. We are at a loss for words to express how much his work is appreciated, and how deeply he will be missed. He will remain in his position with the West Orange school district as late as April 5, 2022, as we search for an Interim Superintendent.

"We are now tasked with two steps: hiring an Interim Superintendent to provide leadership as we search for a permanent replacement, and searching for a new Superintendent to lead our schools into the future.

"Our immediate goal is to quickly secure capable leadership for a transitional period. We will work with the school district’s human resources team, the New Jersey School Boards Association, and the New Jersey Association of School Administrators to identify and hire an Interim Superintendent. In this temporary position, the Interim Superintendent will provide the management needed to see our schools through the end of this current school year and the start of the next one while we search for a permanent replacement.

"One of the most important tasks for any school board is the hiring of a Superintendent to oversee the operations of the district. It’s critical to find a leader who not only has the credentials and experience for the role but who is also the right fit for our schools and community. We have begun our outreach and planning to engage in this search. We’re fortunate to have many excellent resources to work with us in this selection process. We will provide a timeline and regular updates as we move forward in the search for a new Superintendent. That process will include opportunities for community input.

"We will ensure that there is a continuity of leadership to maintain the progress already underway. Our schools are and will remain, outstanding institutions of learning and opportunity for all of our students. Please contact the Board of Education with any questions by email, through our website at https://www.woboe.org, and at our regularly-scheduled meetings."

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