Sunday, May 21, 2017

SUPERINTENDENT JOHN RAMOS EXPECTED TO LEAVE THE DISTRICT

In a surprise move, Superintendent John Ramos is expected to leave his post, with an announcement likely as soon as Monday, according to sources.

Ramos, who was hired just two years ago, could not be reached for comment Sunday and School Board President Elizabeth Baker did not respond to requests for comment.

But other sources with knowledge of the information confirmed he is expected to leave, but offered no information on his future plans. An announcement is expected to be made Monday.

Ramos is nearing the end of just his second year on the job, which has been a mix of new ideas and plans -- such as the Education Summit and Strategic Plan -- as well as controversies and challenges ranging from budget cuts to a $23,000 bonus he received last year, and a recent decision to re-open his contract for a higher salary with the pending elimination of the state superintendent salary cap.

He has a five-year contract that runs through 2020, but it includes a standard 90-day notice for the superintendent if he wishes to leave.

When he was appointed two years ago, some were concerned about his past that had included a firing as superintendent from the Bridgeport, CT., school district and a stint overseas running an American school in Qatar.

This would mark the third superintendent change in three years after former superintendent Brian Osborne left in mid-2014 for a higher-paying job in New Rochelle, N.Y. His immediate replacement was assistant superintendent James Memoli, who served in the role as an acting superintendent for a year until Ramos took over on Aug. 1, 2015.

No plans are known yet for a replacement or how a search will be conducted.