Sources say Laurie Newell is now the front-runner for Paterson schools superintendent

PATERSON — Laurie Newell, a former district administrator, has emerged as the favored candidate to become Paterson’s next superintendent of schools, according to four high-ranking city education officials who would not comment publicly about the situation.

The school board is holding a special meeting Wednesday night to conduct closed-session discussions on “personnel” issues, and three officials said one of the topics would be a possible contract for Newell.

The sources said the board has already given informal approval for the district’s legal team to begin contract negotiations with Newell. But it’s not likely that the board would vote on a contract for Newell on Wednesday night because state law requires public hearings on proposed superintendent contracts.

Officials previously said they could not appoint a new superintendent during the lame-duck period between this month’s school board election and the January meeting when the election winners take their seats.

But three city education officials said the board was weighing a “loophole” that would circumvent the prohibition preventing the appointment during a lame-duck period, a move that may involve an extraordinary shift in a top district job.

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“I’m not quite sure what’s going to happen,” veteran Paterson Board of Education member Jonathan Hodges said about Wednesday’s special meeting.

Other members of the school board declined to comment publicly about the situation or did not respond to messages from a news reporter.

In an interview three weeks ago, Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter said Newell’s appointment would be historic, making her Paterson’s first African American woman to serve as superintendent. She cited Newell’s possible appointment in conjunction with the election results, which determined that Paterson would have three Black women on the Board of Education for the first time.

Newell was Paterson Public Schools’ human services director and chief reform and innovation officer between December 2010 and June 2016. She left the city to become superintendent of the Essex Regional Educational Services Commission, which runs alternative education and special needs schools. Newell still holds the job in Essex County.

The other two finalists for the job are Andre Spencer, currently schools superintendent in Manor, Texas, and Keith Miles Jr., superintendent in Bridgeton in South Jersey.

Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press.

Email: editor@patersonpress.com