Oxford School District appoints Dr. Ralph Marino Jr. as superintendent; chairman authorized to sign contract

The Oxford School District Board of Education voted to appoint Dr. Ralph Marino Jr. as the district's next superintendent and authorized the board chairman to execute his employment contract, with an initial term set to begin July 1, 2025.

The action, taken under Connecticut General Statutes 10-157, began when a board member moved to elect Dr. Marino and to permit the chairman to sign the proposed contract on the board's behalf. A second was recorded and the motion carried; the transcript notes the motion passed but does not record a roll-call tally.

Dr. Ralph Marino Jr., identified in the meeting as the superintendent-elect, thanked the board and community and said he had begun transition meetings with senior staff. "First of all, thank you to the board for this opportunity to lead and serve a wonderful school district," Marino said, adding he looked forward to meeting students, staff and parents and that he had already met some people in the hallway. He said he had met with senior team members, including Mr. Carr and Jeff, to begin transition work.

The board did not provide a public vote count in the transcript, and the minutes do not show who made or seconded the motion by name. The motion language recorded in the meeting specified the effective date of the appointment as July 1, 2025 and authorized the board chairman to enter into the proposed contract.

Next steps recorded in the meeting are administrative: finalizing the written employment contract and completing the transition process between now and the superintendent-elect's start date. The meeting record does not list a contract signing date or additional terms beyond the start date.

The meeting adjourned after brief reports and community updates.