Moorestown schools hires Pittsgrove school district chief as its new superintendent.

The Moorestown school board voted 6-3 at its meeting Tuesday to appoint Courtney McNeely as its new superintendent.

"There is a legacy of excellence in Moorestown, and we are all part of making that happen," McNeely said in remarks to the school board and public. "I am so looking forward to working with all of you."

McNeely is currently superintendent at Pittsgrove Township School District in Salem County. Before her current position, McNeely was assistant superintendent at Buena Regional School District in Atlantic County and director of instruction and a teacher in the Northern Burlington County Regional School District, according to Moorestown School Board President Mark Villanueva.

Villanueva voted for McNeely’s appointment, as did Board Vice President Cheryl Makopoulos and Board Members Jill Fallows Macaluso, Brooke Mailhiot, Danielle Miller and Claudine Morano.

"Now we have a leader who can help us set the vision and the priorities and move us into the future to make sure that every student in our district has the opportunity to succeed and be excellent in their own right," Makopoulos said of McNeely.

Board Members Melissa Arcaro Burns, Jaclyn Barnes and Maurice Weeks voted against McNeely's appointment.

"I feel that an internal candidate would bring not only a comprehensive grasp of our district's operations but also established relationships with staff, students and families," Arcaro Burns said. "This foundation… is crucial for effective leadership and would allow for a smoother transition, as well as immediate (and) informed action on our district's priorities."

Several members of the public made comments at the meeting that aligned with those by Arcaro Burns.

McNeely's contract is over five years, paying $225,000 in the first year with 2% increases in each of the following four years, James Heiser, the district's business administrator and board secretary, told 70and73.com.

She will start the Moorestown superintendent job no later than January 15, 2025, according to Villanueva.

New Jersey Department of Education data from 2023-24, the last full year for which the department has posted data, McNeely’s current school district had 1,649 students and Moorestown had 3,892 students.

News reports in the past have disclosed that the Moorestown district has experienced significant turnover in the superintendent position in the past decade. For instance, Brian Betze was superintendent from roughly August 2012 to roughly August 2013; Timothy J. Rehm was interim superintendent and then superintendent from roughly February 2014 until October 2015; and Michael Volpe was superintendent from roughly December 2021 until October 2022.

School safety scores, by building

Cheri Caravano, William Allen Middle School principal, presented data that she said indicated how each school in the district did from January 1, 2024, to June 30, 2024, in implementing programming, hiring and training employees and possessing other characteristics associated with the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act. 

Caravano said the maximum score a school can receive is 78 points and that each school in the district’s score was:

• William Allen Middle School. 65
• Upper Elementary School. 72
• Baker Elementary School. 73
• South Valley Elementary School. 73
• Moorestown High School. 75
• Roberts Elementary School. 76

District looking for tax benefits from development

Villanueva said during the meeting that he has received questions from the community about apartments being built near Moorestown Mall. The development will make a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT), exempting it from property taxes, and will generate $50 million in revenue.

According to Villanueva, since the developer will not pay property taxes annually, township officials proposed the school district receive township funds to offset the cost of upcoming capital projects. 

"We did not think that that was a great arrangement for the school district for a number of reasons," Villanueva said. "One of them being that we need this revenue for operational purposes."

Villanueva said he would, instead, have the township provide the district with either a fixed dollar amount from the development’s revenue or a specific percentage of its revenue.