Community Thanks Superintendent Retiring From Long Valley

LONG VALLEY, NJ — The torch was passed at Tuesday’s Washington Township Board of Education meeting, as attendees thanked retiring Superintendent Jeffrey Mohre during his final meeting with the district; and the board voted unanimously to appoint Laura Morana as Interim Superintendent effective July 1.

Mohre started as the district’s superintendent in 2010.

“I have two simple words, ‘thank you,’” Mohre said when he made his final remarks during the meeting, commending parents, faculty and staff for rising above the challenges all experienced from COVID-19.

He called the students “the common thread" that bonded all of the staff members to put “our best feet forward each and every day, even when it was difficult to do so.”

The board also presented Mohre with a plaque, to which he replied after reading it, “I thank you for this, this has touched my heart.”

The many people who acknowledged Mohre choked up as they spoke about him, talking about the positives that he brought to the Washington Township Schools.

Flocktown-Kossman Elementary School Principal Michael Craver thanked Mohre on behalf of the district’s administrative team, describing him as collaborative and a problem-solver.

“His approach in any situation has always been to show grace and understanding,” Craver said.

Praise also came in the form of a letter read from colleague Christina Van Woert, Superintendent of the Chester School District, who spoke not only as a fellow leader, but as a parent in the district. Van Woert, who was chosen as Morris County’s Superintendent of the Year, described Mohre as “tireless,” a person who brought about exciting changes to the Washington Schools and a “champion of the children.”

Van Woert also called Mohre “one of the best superintendents in Morris County.”

There was one question to the board during the public session just before they voted to appoint the interim superintendent, asking if the contract for the permanent superintendent would be merit-based. Board President Jessica DeCicco replied that the board hadn’t discussed the topic in detail yet.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at jennifer.miller@patch.com.