PETERSBURG — An Upper Township native appears to be returning to her hometown to lead the school system.
The district’s superintendent search committee unanimously chose Allison Pessolano, curriculum coordinator in the Woodstown-Pilesgrove Regional School District, and the Board of Education voted Feb. 27 to enter contract negotiations.
Pessolano grew up in the township, where she attended school through eighth grade before going to boarding school in 1990 in Pennsylvania. He parents remained through her college years before moving to Somers Point in Atlantic County.
“I’m excited to come home and serve in the district that I’m a product of,” she said. “It’s a great district — all districts have their challenges and I’m sure that Upper Township has its challenges too, but there are a lot of really fantastic things going on here, so to be able to work collaboratively with the staff and students and the board and the community in a district like this is really exciting to me.”
Pessolano said she had the opportunity to apply for a superintendent position in her current district but prefers to work with younger students.
“I always said if I was going to become a superintendent I really wanted to be a superintendent of a K-8 district. That’s really where my heart is, what I’ve always been drawn to,” she said.
Pessolano thanked the board for having faith in her to fill the position.
“I really look forward to working on the transition with Mr. Kobik over the next few months. I know we have time before this becomes official but I’m just really excited and even more excited hearing all the wonderful things tonight that are going on,” she said.
Interim Superintendent Chris Kobik took over from longtime former superintendent Vincent Palmieri.
According to his letter of resignation dated Nov. 21, 2022, Palmieri will remain employed by the Upper Township School District until Dec. 31, 2024, at a salary of $176,083 for 2023 and $135,000 for 2024.
The board approved the separation agreement that evening.
Kobik said the district chose to announce the candidate before it was required to be made public, noting there will be a three-week period during which the board negotiates with Pessolano, the contract gets sent to the county executive superintendent for approval and then returns to the school board.
“We all wanted you to know right away. You care just like we do, and leaving you in the dark for a long period of time because of a cumbersome, onerous process that is traditionally followed, we just didn’t think would be fair,” Kobik said.
Board member Tom McQuillen said the search committee took its role very seriously.
“We came to a unanimous decision as a committee on who our recommended superintendent was going to be,” he said.
Pessolano said she is ready to get started.
“I’m just so excited to get to know all of you, working together, get to know our kids and make sure they have the best educational experience they can while they’re with us. I look forward to hitting the ground running in July,” she said.
Pessolano earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental science with a concentration in biology in May 1998 from Colorado College then attended Rowan University, where she earned a certificate of graduate studies in math in 2007, a master’s degree in teacher leadership and supervisor’s certificate in 2010 and principal’s certificate in 2012.
She worked as a middle school math teacher from 2003-12 and instructional facilitator for STEM from 2012-15 at the Woodstown-Pilesgrove Regional School District.
Pessolano served as principal of the Woodstown Middle School from 2015-21 and curriculum coordinator from 2021 until present.
She also served as an acting superintendent while still performing duties of curriculum coordinator from July to October 2022.
If negotiations are successful, Pessolano would begin her employment July 1.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff