Zega Ousted, Woodbridge Gets New School Superintendent

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — Dr. Robert Zega is leaving and Dr. Joseph Massimino has been approved by the Board of Ed. as the new superintendent of Woodbridge schools effective July 1, 2021.

Zega told Patch the Woodbridge BOE chose to not renew his contract, for reasons that remain unknown.

"The board chose not to offer me a contract. My current contract will expire at the end of June," said Zega. "I am still tenured in several different administrative positions in the district, but I don’t know yet where I will end up."

Woodbridge Board of Education president Marie Anderson did not directly answer when Patch asked why Zega's contract was not renewed.

"Dr. Zega will become a principal in the district, pursuant to an agreement between him and the Board," she told Patch.

Zega led the Woodbridge school district through the tumultuous year of the coronavirus pandemic, when schools first went all virtual last March, reopened in a hybrid form this fall, then went back to all virtual in November in the second wave to finally reopen five days a week — at last — by the end of April.

With 26 schools and more than 13,000 students, Woodbridge is the eighth largest school system in the state.

Prior to being named to the top job, Massimino was the assistant superintendent for the district.

Massimino is a lifelong resident of Woodbridge Township and he attended Woodbridge public schools from kindergarten until his graduation from John F. Kennedy Memorial High School in 1997, according to his bio on the district's website.

He graduated from Rutgers in 2001 with a degree in American studies and a minor in political science from Rutgers University.

He worked for a stint in scheduling for the governor's office, under then Gov. Jim McGreevey (D) — who famously later resigned in disgrace —and Massimino then began his teaching career in 2002 as a social studies teacher at Woodbridge High School. In addition to teaching, he also coached baseball and served as an internal coordinator for Middle States.

He received his master’s degree in educational administration from Kean University in 2004 and was promoted to department supervisor of social studies and world languages of the entire Woodbridge school district in 2009. In 2010, he was promoted to principal of Claremont Avenue Elementary School #20 and in 2014, he received his PhD. doctoral degree in educational administration from Rutgers University.

Massimino is an active volunteer in several youth sports organizations and enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, according to his bio on the district website.

Be the first to know. Sign up to get Patch emails: https://patch.com/subscribe Contact this Patch reporter: Carly.baldwin@patch.com

Editor's note: This article originally incorrectly reported that Zega chose not to renew his contract. That was not correct and we regret the error.