Pennsauken Board of Education holds public hearing on superintendent’s contract; residents largely voice support

The Pennsauken Township Board of Education on April 29 held a public hearing on a proposed amendment and extension of Superintendent Dr. Tarchichi’s employment contract for the period July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2029, and allowed members of the public to comment for up to three minutes each.

The hearing matters were announced under N.J.S.A. 18A:11-11; the board said the contract had been reviewed and approved by the Executive County Superintendent of the New Jersey Department of Education, Camden County Office, and that a copy was available for public inspection at the office of the Board Secretary. The board noted it published the required public notices (newspaper notice March 28, 2024; website postings beginning March 25, 2024). The public-comment period was allotted 20 minutes total.

During the public comment period, resident David Luthman raised concerns about a previous public hearing process for the superintendent’s contract and cited "unfavorable student testing statistics." Several other residents spoke in favor of retaining and supporting Dr. Tarchichi, saying district performance and programs have improved since his hire. Cheryl Duffy and Elizabeth LaVine praised measurable improvements and accomplishments under the superintendent’s leadership; Nick Perry credited district progress to prior board leadership and leadership in the superintendent’s office; Jerry Bennett thanked Dr. Tarchichi for supporting a special-needs basketball camp and urged the board to keep deliberations apolitical; Michael Stargell asked about the superintendent’s objectives and emphasized expanding collegiate and career-track curricula; Clinton Tabb recounted his experience attending Pennsauken Schools and urged maintaining forward momentum. The board president, Mrs. Young, clarified some misconceptions regarding the contract after public comment.

Dr. Tarchichi addressed the audience about school rankings and district programs, saying it is a “monumental accomplishment” to be ranked the top school in the state and describing career and technical education (CTE) programs the district created to expand student career pathways. He emphasized keeping the district’s vision and maintaining "forward momentum."

Board members approved a procedural motion to open the public hearing (motion by Mr. Alves; second by Mr. Carey), later approved a motion to close the hearing (motion by Ms. Johnson; second by Mrs. Hutton) and voted to move into executive session under N.J.S.A. 10:4-12 to discuss personnel/privacy matters; the board entered executive session at 7:39 p.m. and reconvened the public meeting at 7:49 p.m. The board adjourned at 7:50 p.m. (motions carried; formal roll-call tallies were not specified in the transcript.)

The transcript of the meeting notes that certain matters discussed in closed session are exempt from public disclosure under the statute and that any items no longer requiring confidentiality will be made public when appropriate. The board did not announce a final public action on the superintendent’s contract in the public portion of this meeting.

The contract’s effective dates, notice and review timeline, and the availability of the contract for public inspection at the Board Secretary’s office were provided to the public during the hearing. Further procedural steps or any formal vote to adopt or amend the contract were not recorded in the public portion of this transcript.