The Verona Board of Education approved West Caldwell resident Dr. Lydia E. Furnari to be interim superintendent while it pursues a successor to Superintendent Dr. Rui Dionisio, who is leaving in early November. The BOE made the selection at a special meeting held on Monday night, at which it also approved the promotion of Julia Albretsen, currently a teacher at H.B. Whitehorne Middle School, to supervisor of humanities for the school district.
In an email sent to school parents last night, the district said that Dr. Furnari received a bachelor’s in music education and a master’s in supervision and administration from Montclair State University, and a doctoral degree in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University. She was a music teacher in Paterson and Montclair before shifting into administration, first as a principal in Elizabeth, and then as the director of elementary and secondary education there. She went on to be Montclair’s administrator of curriculum and instruction before becoming assistant superintendent in the South Orange-Maplewood school district and superintendent in Franklin Lakes. Since her retirement, Dr. Furnari been the interim superintendent in Green Township and Lafayette.
“I am honored to have been chosen by the Board as Interim Superintendent of the Verona Public Schools and look forward to serving the staff, students, and families of Verona,” Dr. Furnari said in the email.
The BOE has not yet chosen the search firm to find a new superintendent. The BOE heard a presentation on the search and selection process at its August 31 meeting.
