Schools

Verona Picks New Schools Chief

Meet and greet with Steve Forte tonight at Verona High School.

The Verona Board of Education has announced the district's new superintendent, and is hoping to have him in place by the end of the calendar year.

Steve Forte, most recently principal of Hasbrouck Heights High School, caught the attention of the board, district staffers and parents during four rounds of interviews, and will soon helm the Verona district.

Forte previously was a teacher for 16 years, mostly at the high school level, in districts from Livingston to Basking Ridge to West Orange to Glen Rock, also finding time to coach football and wrestling.

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In 2006, after a brief stint as acting assistant principal of Glen Rock High School, Forte became principal of Lincoln Elementary School in Hasbrouck Heights, where he stayed until 2010, when he was made principal of Hasbrouck Heights High School, while also still serving as director of curriculum, director of technology, and testing coordinator for the district.

Board of Education President John Quattrocchi described the Superintendent-to-be as an "eternal optimist, who never takes no for an answer." He praised his diverse background, resourcefulness and managerial skill.

Find out what's happening in Verona-Cedar Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Exactly what we need is someone to manage the district and continue to hone what our personality and culture is as a district. He's a can-do sort of person, I think he's going to be a good fit," he said.

Acting Superintendent Elizabeth Jewett, who is also the district's Director of Instruction Studies, has held the position on an interim basis since her predecessor, Charles Sampson, to become Superintendent of the Freehold Regional High School District.

Save for a few administrative hoops to jump through, Forte should be starting in the district around the first of the year, Quattrocchi said.

The school community is invited to attend a meet and greet/question and answer session with Forte tonight at Verona High School, 151 Fairview Ave., starting at 7 p.m.


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