Secaucus names interim superintendent; full-time search paused after closed-session vote

The Secaucus Board of Education on Oct. 16 welcomed Dr. Mark Toback as interim superintendent and announced that the board will pause its search for a full‑time superintendent after the board’s final candidate failed to receive enough votes in a closed‑session decision.

Dr. Mark Toback, who began his interim role on Oct. 1, told the board he has visited each school, met staff and administrators, connected with town representatives and attended committee meetings since his start. He said he will host “coffee with the superintendent” sessions at district schools in late October and is expected to serve through June 2026 and possibly into the 2026–27 school year.

Board President Miss Diadetta told the meeting the board concluded interviews with a final third‑round candidate but that the candidate “did not receive enough votes to move forward with an offer.” She said the closed‑session vote was “not a unanimous decision” and that the board agreed to pause and reflect before deciding next steps. The board did not disclose the closed‑session vote details at the meeting.

The decision drew sharp criticism during public comment from resident Anthony Granieri, who asked the board to restart the full‑time superintendent search promptly and to disclose how each member voted on the closed‑session decision. Granieri said the district has had “eight superintendents in eight years” and argued the board owed the public a recorded roll‑call account of the executive‑session vote. He cited New Jersey statute 18A:17‑15 in calling for the vote record to be disclosed.

Toback outlined early priorities in his interim role, saying he will continue school visits and community outreach and praised district staff for “strong” classroom instruction and building operations. He also said the district will post two mandated reports online, including standardized testing results and the annual harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB) self‑assessment. Toback said he would research potential grants for school safety and work with town officials on security and facilities issues.

The board did not take a public vote on appointing a permanent superintendent at the meeting. Several board members later participated in routine roll calls on agenda items and noted recusals on specified resolutions; the transcript records recusals on several agenda items but does not show a public roll‑call vote on the closed‑session superintendent matter.

The board did not provide a timeline for resuming the superintendent search. Granieri’s public remarks, including his request that the board disclose how members voted in executive session, remained in the record of the meeting’s public‑comment period.