Hamilton school instruction director leaves district for new job
HAMILTON » The curriculum director who briefly served as Hamilton’s acting superintendent is leaving the Hamilton Township School District for a new top job in Middlesex County.
Sylvia Zircher next month will take over the reins of the South River Public Schools, a small district that enrolls about 2,000 students in grades kindergarten through 12.
“As I begin my role as Superintendent in July, I look forward to collaborating with our entire learning community to prepare students for a bright and productive future,” Zircher said in a recent letter to the South River community. The South River Board of Education on May 25 voted to appoint her as superintendent of schools.
Zircher has a long, distinguished career in public education, although her service in Hamilton represents only a small part of her résumé. The Hamilton Board of Education in December 2015 appointed her as director of curriculum and instruction. She resigned from the East Windsor Regional School District as an elementary principal to take the curriculum director job in Hamilton.
Satisfied with her qualifications and leadership skills, the Hamilton school board on Feb. 27 gave Zircher a temporary promotion when it voted to appoint her as acting superintendent of schools. She served in the district’s top post from March 1 until Dr. Scott Rocco took over as permanent superintendent on May 8.
“Working with children and families has always been my passion, and over the last 18 years I have proudly been a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and director of curriculum and instruction,” Zircher said in her letter to the South River community. “My experiences in these roles have cultivated the core beliefs I embed in my daily practice. Ensuring every student has the opportunity to reach his/her fullest potential, and making sure that we meet the diverse needs of our teachers and students are the values I intend to continue to foster in South River.”
In her former role as Hamilton’s acting superintendent, Zircher led an academic institution comprising more than 11,000 students and helped craft a $205 million 201718 school budget that eliminated dozens of lunchroom and playground aides, saving the district $740,000. “We’ve really been torn by this cut,” Zircher said at a school board meeting in April. “No cut is an easy cut.”
Zircher next month will replace South River Superintendent Michael J. Pfister, who is retiring effective July 1 in the aftermath of his decision to cut South River teaching positions to help balance the district’s $33 million budget.
In a retirement letter, Pfister said South River Public Schools “is well positioned for a bright future and is ready for the renewal that comes with new leadership.”