Outgoing Superintendent Got School District 'Back On Track'

Frank Roselli took over as leader of the Toms River Regional School District at a difficult time.

The community had been rocked by a corruption scandal involving former superintendent Michael Ritacco. Roselli’s appointment to the post in 2011 came with challenges, according to Board of Education President Ben Giovine, who honored the superintendent Tuesday night before he retires at the end of June.

"When Mr. Roselli first came in, he was ushering in a district that was uncertain. It was a time when the community was looking at the district and Mr. Roselli rose up, got the district back on track, got everyone back to where they needed to be and led the district forward," Giovine said during remarks at the board's regular June meeting.

In 2011, Roselli was approved by board of education members through a unanimous vote after serving as interim leader.

“He has always had an unflinching commitment not just to the schools, but to the staff and to the students and to the parents," Giovine said.

In addition to leading the district out of “the Ritacco era,” Roselli was commended for helping an entire community through Superstorm Sandy. Schools were used as shelters and district buses transported the stranded. Education officials, including Roselli, sat in meetings with township officials as they responded to the storm and the needs of residents.

"It was critical that you allowed us to use these spaces," said Councilman Mo Hill, who joined Clerk Mark Mutter as the township representatives honoring Roselli.

Roselli turned the schools into "a beacon of hope" following the storm, Giovine said.

"There was a sense of stability that the district was providing.”

Roselli, 61, announced his retirement in late-March after suffering a heart attack earlier that month. He said that he has been "blessed" to have been an educator for the past 40 years, 32 of which were spent in Toms River.

A nationwide search is being conducted to find Roselli’s permanent replacement, and an interim superintendent has been appointed to lead the district until that selection is made by the board.

The outgoing superintendent read from a letter he wrote for staff that will be distributed on Wednesday. In it, he stressed that everyone in the district—no matter their job—plays a role in the life of each child who goes to school in Toms River.

"No matter what position you hold in our school district, you're all directly or indirectly involved in the care, the safety and the education of our students," Roselli said.

Roselli was presented with proclamations from the Ocean County Freeholders and Toms River Township Council, as well as a plaque from the Board of Education. He also received the Frank Reusch Award, the namesake honor of a former Toms River educator who worked with Roselli about 30 years ago when the school district's crisis team was formed.

"The beauty of it was I had people such as Frank, who were very well qualified," Reusch said in remarks. 

"I think the thing that impressed me most with him—and it still does today—was the fact that he loved children and he always showed it. And he still does," Reusch said.

Mutter thanked Roselli and his staff throughout the district for their support each election cycle, as 11 schools are used as polling sites.

"It's an enormous amount of cooperation,", Mutter said. "Democracy is alive and well because of the cooperation you exuded over the last few years.”

Former board member Gus Kakavas, who is running to reclaim a seat this November, bid Roselli farewell during the meeting’s public comment portion.

“He’s not just an educator,” Kakavas said. “He’s a good person. He’s a friend.”

Roselli, who served 8 1/2 years as assistant superintendent before becoming its leader, received a standing ovation from board members and the public at the meeting when he concluded reading from his letter.

"It is the people I will miss most," he said.