ORANGE, NJ — Former Orange Public Schools Superintendent Ron Lee has retired from the Orange School District after eight years of service at the Orange Board of Education’s regular meeting Tuesday, June 28.
According to Lee, there is a difference between resigning and retiring.
“One means you’re resigning and going someplace else to work; the other means you’re retiring from work,” said Lee on Tuesday, July 5, in an interview with the Record-Transcript. “I had a year left on my contract. I didn’t send my letter of resignation. I sent my letter of retirement.”
The Orange Board of Education was scheduled to meet Tuesday, July 12. Although Lee has already retired from the district, Pat Arthur, a former Orange Board of Education president, said Lee has not formally filed his retirement papers with the state Board of Education, so there’s still a chance he could come back to finish out the remaining year on his contract.
Arthur and Janice Morrell, a former Orange Zoning Board member and mayoral candidate, said there’s still a chance for Lee to keep his job in Orange. Arthur added that a lot of credit for the state of the school system should go to Lee.
“Mr. Lee stabilized things. … Mr. Lee brought in NJIT and partnered with NJPAC, Rutgers University and others to bring quality programs into the district for our kids,” said Arthur.
“Kids are learning to play bridge and do robotics. Mr. Lee brought in robotics. The graduating seniors in the Class of 2016 got $7 million in scholarships this year and last year. Check what they were getting before Mr. Lee came here.”
Morrell said, “Ron Lee’s resignation is a very unfortunate development for our children and Orange.” She said, based on statistics on record in Trenton with the state Board of Education, “He was an effective superintendent, as our students’ achievements, measured and documented by NJDOE reports and expansion of programs, have verified.”
“Our past four superintendents’ records strongly suggest that our students’ continued progress will benefit from and be ensured by a superintendent who has a positive, verifiable record of district-wide experience,” said Morrell on Tuesday, July 5. “Our Board of Education has a tremendously challenging responsibility and task. Additional parents and residents should attend the BOE meetings in support of our children.”
Lee’s departure is not totally unexpected, but it does leave a void at the top of the Orange Public Schools as the district retools for the upcoming school year.
Search for new superintendent continues in Orange added by Chris Sykes on
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