At the Board of Education’s March 12 public session, Superintendent Larry Mussoline formally issued his letter of resignation to board members. The move is effective June 30, the end of the current academic year.
“Dr. Mussoline grabbed the reins of a district in need of major rebuilding and clear leadership. I am happy to report that he has righted the ship, built an exceptionally committed administrative team, and put us back on track to move forward effectively, making the progress necessary for continued excellence in education,” said Board President Adam Sangillo in a release accompanying the announcement.
“We knew from the beginning that his broad experience and expertise would identify the remedies for gaps that had to be addressed immediately and would start us down the best path to our strong future.”
Having previously led the Downingtown, Pa. School District, Mussoline was hired in March 2018 for what he called a “retooling” rather than official retirement, and took office in June, roughly a month ahead of schedule.
Once installed, he guided the district through the aftermath of an alleged racial incident involving the boys’ lacrosse team — and did so while shuttling back and forth from his home base in Chester County while trying to establish himself in the Haddonfield community.
“I had a great time here. It has nothing to do with anything here. It has everything to do with my life and moving forward, and your well-being. I think, in the long run, it’s a good deal. I’ll go back on the rollercoaster of life, see which way it takes me,” Mussoline said after members of the board opened the envelopes which contained the resignation.
Since taking office, Mussoline set about transforming the educational system in the borough from a traditional philosophy in which students, in his words, “learned the skills they needed to enter the workforce,” to one in which students will be given the tools “to learn how to learn for the rest of their lives.”
Calling this transition a 21st-century mindset, Mussoline helped craft a mission statement for the district, along with three core strategic goals, to ensure future graduates will meet the demands of a changing world. To that end, the district brought former Haddonfield Memorial High School principal Chuck Klaus on board as assistant superintendent, and added a Chief Academic Officer in Dr. Colleen Murray.
Mussoline and the board, however, came under fire this school year for their perceived slow response on the subject of security vestibules for two district elementary schools, as well as for a hotly-debated switch in graduation policy and a shift in AP course weighting.
“I wanted to thank every one of you. It has been a pleasure working in Haddonfield. It is a wonderful community and we have the best board. The admin team is excellent, a lot of good things go on with the teaching team, and the students are second-to-none,” Mussoline added.
Board vice president David Siedell said Mussoline’s resignation would not be officially accepted until its next meeting. Sangillo additionally revealed the board has begun working on a plan to replace Mussoline, and will update the community in the near future. Mussoline will be aiding the transition in the meantime.
