Toms River Superintendent David Healy to retire at the end of 2020

TOMS RIVER - Superintendent David Healy, who has been an outspoken critic of recent state funding cuts and led the district through several new initiatives in his six years at the helm, announced plans to retire at the end of 2020, the district revealed Thursday morning.

Healy, who has run the largest suburban district in New Jersey since 2014, told the board he would keep the post until Jan. 1, 2021.

“It has been my sincere pleasure and distinct honor to lead what I consider to be the finest school district within the most child-centered school community in the state of New Jersey,” Healy said in a surprise statement. “I have immense pride in what we’ve been able to accomplish, gratitude for the relationships and friendships that will last beyond my retirement, and confidence that Toms River Regional Schools is better positioned to confront the many challenges facing public school districts in New Jersey.”

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The district offered no initial plans for replacing Healy, but will likely appoint an interim superintendent to be in place to take over before the end of 2020.

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The board of education said in a release it was notified of Healy’s decision Thursday morning, just hours after a regular board meeting.

“I must express my appreciation for the Toms River School Board and the members who have served throughout my tenure,” Healy added. “They placed their trust and confidence in me and, throughout my time here, have provided the support necessary to achieve the many lofty goals we set for Toms River Schools.”

Board members praised Healy’s work in a statement and said he will be missed.

“It is my sincere hope that Mr. Healy is as proud of his accomplishments with our Toms River Regional School District as I am to have worked with him to facilitate our community's collective goals,” Board President Anna Polozzo said in a statement. “As president of the Toms River Schools Board of Education, as a taxpayer, and a parent in our school district, I personally along with the entire Toms River Regional Schools Board of Education am very grateful for Superintendent David Healy's efforts for our community.”

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Board members said that “the district has been trending upward since Healy’s hiring in 2014 after a tumultuous period marked by scandal, upheaval, discontent, and the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.”

“Superintendent Healy and his team got to work with our Board of Education to help an angry community come to terms with the damage done,” said Polozzo. “He showed us the path forward, encouraged us that we could not only rise from adversity but thrive in the face of it and begin the journey back with hope, and restored faith in our shared mission to provide the students of Toms River Regional Schools with a world-class education.”

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Healy also oversaw the implementation of full-day kindergarten in 2015; overseeing the procurement of more than $4 million in competitive grants (the district hired a full-time grant writer in 2016) and sponsorships, including naming rights for what is now RWJBarnabas Health Arena; and the implementation of the Energy Savings Improvement Program (ESIP) and passage of a bond referendum in 2019 which has led to more than $165 million in facilities improvements and upgrades throughout the district.

“Because we created a thorough and efficient recruitment and hiring practice, which has yielded nearly 900 of the most qualified and educated staff over the past six years, in combination with the many talented and dedicated staff members who have been a part of this district for many years, I’ve been so fortunate to have worked alongside the best people,” Healy said. “More than 90% of those new hires are from Toms River or Ocean County, which has maintained that symbiotic relationship between our students, staff, and this town. That spirit of family and sense of community is something we’ve worked hard to preserve.”

In recent years, however, the district has faced serious financial issues with the sharp cutbacks in state aid, much of it due to the passage of Senate Bill 2, or S2, which realigned much of the funding from Trenton and left Toms River and other districts millions of dollars short.

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Last week, the board reluctantly agreed to cut 240 staff positions, including 90 bus drivers and 70 cafeteria and playground aides due in part to the lack of staff needed because of remote learning. 

Healy said he had “strongly considered retiring at the end of the 2019-2020 school year, especially after his longtime colleagues, assistant superintendents Marc Natanagara and Deb McKenna, retired from public education,” a district release stated. “But he felt there was unfinished business, particularly in the context of the ongoing state aid fight and the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the end of last school year — Healy had promised in-person graduations for secondary schools, a promise kept — and the rollout of the 2020-2021 school year.”

Joe Strupp is an award-winning journalist with 30 years’ experience who covers education and Monmouth County for APP.com and the Asbury Park Press. He is also the author of two books, including Killing Journalism on the state of the news media, and an adjunct media professor at Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Reach him at jstrupp@gannettnj.com and at 732-413-3840. Follow him on Twitter at @joestrupp