JACKSON – The superintendent of schools in the Spring Lake Heights School District in Monmouth County has been appointed to a vacant seat on the Jackson School District Board of Education.
John Spalthoff was sworn in to fill a vacancy on the seven-member board during the panel’s March 17 meeting.
Thomas Colucci resigned from the board on Jan. 21 after having served for seven years.
Following Colucci’s resignation, school district administrators advertised the vacancy. Residents Anthony Benjamin, Daniel Braile, Shaiyam Flavaney, Sabrina Howard-Mills, Christina Johnson, Tina Kas, Aiden Murphy, Erica Osmond, Kim Reale and Spalthoff applied for the appointment.
On March 17, board President Tara Rivera, Vice President Michael Walsh and board members Gus Acevedo, John Burnetsky, Scott Sargent and Tzvi Herman voted to appoint Spalthoff to the position.
Spalthoff will serve for the remainder of 2021, which would have been the second year of Colucci’s three-year term.
In November, the final year of Colucci’s term will be on the election ballot. Spalthoff or any other qualified resident may run to serve the remaining year of that term.
There will also be three three-year terms on the ballot in November. Those seats are currently held by Herman, Burnetsky, and Acevedo.
Spalthoff said, “I applied for the open seat out of my desire to serve the community in a capacity I have experience in. As an educator for 23 years with the last 16 in school administration, I feel I understand well how a board operates, the role of the board and the importance the board has in ensuring the best education for all the children of Jackson.”
Spalthoff was a teacher in Branchburg and in Old Bridge, and then an assistant principal and principal in the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District.
He is currently the superintendent in Spring Lake Heights. In that role, he is also the special education director and principal of the district’s school.
“I have always served the community through youth sports, specifically as a soccer coach for the Jackson Soccer Club.
“For me, this (appointment to the board) was another opportunity to give back and one in a capacity that will hopefully assist all the children of Jackson. I was honored to have a unanimous vote from the current board members for my appointment.
“It is humbling and appreciated to know I have all of their support to work collaboratively with them during these difficult times of budget cuts, COVID and the mental health crisis our children and staff are facing.
“My vision for my role on the board at this point is to learn as much as I can in a short amount of time about the pressing issues facing the Jackson schools, our staff and our students.
“Once I have that solid background and understanding, I will work with the other six board members, Superintendent of Schools Nicole Pormilli and the administrative team to hopefully continue on the path of excellence Jackson is known for.
“What will always guide my decisions is a simple phrase I learned many years ago – ‘Is this decision in the best interest of children?’ I believe that if I follow that guiding principle, we can continue to make amazing things happen in Jackson,” Spalthoff said.
