Week in Review: Fecal Matter, School Rankings, New Superintendent

It may be a quiet summer in some parts but it's been another busy week in Montclair. In case you missed them, here are the top five stories from the past seven days in Montclair. If you have any stories you'd like to see covered, please email Shelley@patch.com.

In a new ranking of the Garden State's high schools published this past week by Inside Jersey, Montclair High School ranked behind Millburn, Glen Ridge, Livingston, James Caldwell, and Cedar Grove, among other high schools, when it comes to Essex County schools, despite the town of Montclair boasting one of the higher median home values ($601,100). Montclair High School came in 10th out of 35 ranked Essex public high schools, according to the list.

 

Superintendent Will Put District "On The Map"

Montclair's new superintendent, Dr. Penny MacCormack, is expected to put the school district "on the map," according to Leslie Larson, vice president of the board of education. Larson, who headed the board's search committee for a new superintendent, talked with Patch on Thursday about the recent search for a new superintendent that led to the hiring of MacCormack. She described MacCormack as someone with incredibly high standards who expects to be in Montclair schools — instead of in an office — at least 40 percent of the time.

 

Montclair's Mountainside public pool was closed twice in just over a week due to fecal matter incidents, said Michele Cammarata, the acquatics director for Montclair's Department of Recreation, on Friday. She said that both events—the most recent of which occurred Thursday—happened in the lap lane area of the main pool. "This would lead one to assume that a child was not responsible for the event," she said.

 

The Montclair School District announced it would seek back tuition from Samantha Morra, the former assistant principal at Mount Hebron Middle School, to cover the years her children attended school in Montclair, school board members confirmed Thursday. Earlier this month, Morra, was removed from her $115,000-a-year position as assistant principal after she was accused of illegally enrolling her two children in Montclair schools while residing in neighboring Little Falls. Morra—who used a Montclair mailing address although she paid taxes to Little Falls—was .

Cops Seeking Graffiti, Vandalism Culprits

Montclair Police reported yet another wave of graffiti and vandalism incidents including one that resulted in damage to the benches outside Montclair High School. Montclair Police Det. Lt. Angel Roman said that most incidents seem to involve juveniles, adding that the number is "probably rising" because it's summer and school's out.

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