BERKELEY – There will be a new Golden Eagle leading the flock.
Dr. Michelle CarneyRay-Yoder was chosen as the new superintendent and will be joining the district on January 1, 2024.
The Board of Education approved her appointment, with two board members abstaining. After that, she was given a moment to address the board and public. She expressed her gratitude in how she’s been welcomed.
“I can’t wait to make you proud as your next superintendent,” she said.
She has been the superintendent of the Somers Point School District for more than five years. She is the president of the Atlantic County Association of School Administrators and was named the 2022-2023 Atlantic County Superintendent of the Year.
She is an adjunct professor at Stockton University, which Central officials noted because their Humanities Academy is a partnership with that school.
She started her career as a special education teacher, later becoming a learning disability teacher consultant. She served as a middle school vice principal in Egg Harbor Township and was later a principal and director of special education in the Margate School District.
“Dr. CarneyRay-Yoder’s career in education and leadership has prepared her for this pivotal role,” Central Regional said in a statement. “She is a dedicated and passionate educational leader with a proven track record of success in fostering student growth and school improvement through her diverse background in special education and administration.”
CarneyRay-Yoder comes after a difficult year for Central. The loss of Adriana Kuch, a 14-year-old who took her life after videos of being bullied spread on social media, filled board meetings with angry residents and reporters who even came from other countries. There were also allegations of racism among officials.
When CarneyRay-Yoder was appointed at the October meeting, there were just a handful of people in attendance in the mostly empty auditorium. There were two local reporters, families of the Seniors of the Month, the usual staff members, and less than ten members of the public.
CarneyRay-Yoder said she was aware of the situations and promised to help create a school environment “where every student is loved and seen and heard.”
She introduced a few new terms. The first is a nickname, Dr. CRY, which she said is easier for people to remember than her full name and that it was something that the special education students liked (“Dr. CRY who doesn’t make you cry.”) The other is “staffulty,” a merging of staff and faculty, symbolizing how every employee is on equal footing. “Nobody holds a higher status.”
Growing up with a brother who had a learning disability might explain why she said she is so passionate about special education, she said.
Board President Denise Pavone-Wilson said that about two dozen candidates were vetted for this position. The New Jersey School Board Association guided the search.
There had been a public survey for what parents and residents wanted in a superintendent, she said. Those suggestions and the Board’s recommendations were used by NJSBA to form criteria for the position. They wanted someone who worked as a superintendent, with experience in special education and athletics – among other traits.
“She checked all those boxes,” Pavone-Wilson said.
Assistant Superintendent Douglas Corbett has been interim superintendent during this time and will return to being assistant superintendent in January.
Lt. Col. Michael Tier, who helped launch the school’s JROTC program, was one of the few members of the public to speak during the meeting. He welcomed the new superintendent and said that Corbett did a “fantastic job” leading the district during this period.
Her contract will run until June 30, 2028. Business Administrator Kevin O’Shea said that her salary is $180,000 and she will receive 3% raises each year of the contract. Parlapanides’ last salary was $195,353.
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