Wayne Township board approves employment agreement for incoming superintendent David Cadino; promotes facilities director

The Wayne Township Board of Education on April 11 approved an employment agreement for incoming superintendent David Cadino and approved a personnel transfer promoting Lauren Tibbitz from director of facilities to acting assistant business administrator.

The board opened the meeting to public comment on agenda items only and allowed three minutes per speaker, but no members of the public spoke. The board then voted on the superintendent’s employment agreement; roll-call responses recorded multiple "yes" votes, two abstentions and one recusal, and the motion was approved. The board also moved and approved the internal transfer of Lauren Tibbitz; the motion carried.

Why it matters: The board’s actions set leadership for the district ahead of the 2025–26 school year and put an experienced district leader into the superintendent role while shifting a facilities director into a senior business office post. Board members emphasized hiring as one of the board’s most consequential responsibilities.

What the board voted on and outcome: The board took two formal personnel actions. First, it approved the appointment of Dr. Daniel Gallagher as acting board secretary for this meeting (motion carried by roll call). Second, under human resources item 1 the board approved the transfer of Lauren Tibbitz from director of facilities to acting assistant business administrator (motion carried). Third, the board approved an employment agreement for the incoming superintendent named on the agenda; roll call recorded multiple yes votes, two members abstained, and one member recused themselves; the motion carried and applause followed.

Details on the incoming superintendent and contract language in the meeting: Board members introduced David Cadino as the district’s new superintendent and summarized his previous 11 years as a superintendent in another New Jersey district. The introduction said he previously led a district of about 9,000 students, 1,200 staff and a $160 million budget and had received county- and state-level superintendent awards. The transcript recorded the agreement’s effective start date as Aug. 11 and an end date read aloud as "June 30" with the year transcribed unclearly; the record in the meeting did not clearly state the contract year in the transcript and that calendar-year end is therefore not specified in the transcript.

Cadino’s remarks and priorities: In his remarks Cadino expressed condolences for the recent death of Principal Kent Paliski, described schools as a ‘‘family,’’ and said his priorities include safe, secure schools; consistent presence in the community; openness to innovation; and efforts to make learning engaging for students. He said he will hold meet-and-greet events with schools and families ahead of his start date and mentioned he often brings a service dog, Daisy, as part of community and grief-support work.

Board commentary and process notes: Several board members who spoke said the search considered more than two dozen candidates and described the chosen candidate as a strong fit for Wayne. Board members thanked the search consultant (named in the transcript as Magna) for its role in the process.

Next steps: The board said it will schedule meet-and-greets and introduction events for the superintendent prior to his Aug. 11 start. No additional formal actions were taken at the meeting; the board moved to adjourn at the close of remarks.

Votes at a glance (as recorded in the meeting transcript): • Transfer of Lauren Tibbitz to acting assistant business administrator — outcome: approved (roll call; "motion carries"). • Employment agreement for incoming superintendent David Cadino — outcome: approved; roll call recorded multiple yes votes, two abstentions and one recusal (detailed names and counts as read aloud in the transcript are recorded below in actions provenance).