New Point Boro H.S. Principal Had Faced Some Criticism for Disciplinary Measures He Took in Paramus

Kurt A. Karcich was at risk of not having his contract renewed as Paramus High School principal when he accepted a job as Point Pleasant Borough High School principal.

Karcich, 41, was hired by a unanimous vote of the Point Pleasant Board of Education at a special meeting on July 2.

Last Tuesday, he resigned from Paramus High School, effective July 31, where he has been principal since 2009, and will start his new job on Aug. 1.

The Paramus Board of Education had been contemplating not renewing Karcich's contract which was set to expire on July 31. He would have been eligible to receive tenure on July 1.

Paramus Patch reported that many parents believe the Paramus board's hesitation in renewing Karcich’s contract stemmed from disciplinary action he took against students who performed an unapproved skit during a senior event earlier this year. The skit offended a student.

The students were disciplined for their actions. The parents of the students who were disciplined allegedly emailed several complaints to the board regarding what they characterized as Karcich's “strictness.”

However, about 60 parents attended a Paramus board meeting on June 19 and all parents who spoke publicly were in favor of the district renewing Karcich's contract, as reported by Paramus Patch. The board took no action regarding the renewal of Karcich's contract during the June school board meeting and has not met since.   

Kenneth Rota, the incoming Superintendent of Schools and Joseph Lupo, the former superintendent, who is now the Assistant Superintendent for Administration, Supervision, and Curriculum, could not be reached for comment.

Borough Schools Superintendent Vincent Smith said Karcich had, at the outset, explained the situation to him and other Borough administrators.

"We were aware of the situation, he was up front about it," Smith said. "But we went through an extensive process and we agreed unanimously that he was the best candidate for the job."

Those who agreed were the selection committee, comprised of Smith; Schools Business Administrator Steven Corso; Robert H. Alfonse, District Director of Curriculum & Instruction; Rita Miller, District Supervisor of Pupil Personnel Services and, ultimately, the Borough Board of Education.

Smith said he and the other administrators did their own research, spoke to numerous references and came up with Karcich as the best candidate for the job.

"He has a strong work ethic, he's a good leader and he has a passion for kids," Smith said. "That's why he left the business world to go into education.

"Ms. Rocco has done a great job," Smith said. "I think he's a guy who will continue that."

Karcich said he did not wish to comment on his personnel issue with the Paramus board and administrators. However, he was happy to talk about Point Pleasant.

"I'm thrilled and excited about starting in Point Pleasant," he said. "I looked at different opportunities and this was the best fit for my family and me for a lot of different reasons.

"When I talked to administrators, staff and board members in Point, my beliefs and values are in line with what they believe," said Karcich, who had three interviews and other interactions with district personnel.

"When I talked to everyone in Point, it's all about the kids, not personal agendas or politics," Karcich said. "It's just such a natural fit. It's the right place for me."

Initially, the district had 52 applicants, with 13 ultimately interviewed. There were three applicants who got other job offers while the process was ongoing, Smith said.

Karcich starts his new job on Aug. 1 and will be paid $151,500 per year, which is thousands more than It is $5,785 more than the $145,715 Rocco earned for most of the past school year and $2,871 more than the $148,629 she has earned since July 1 of this year, based on figures supplied by the Point Pleasant Borough school district.

Rocco, 58, is retiring effective Sept. 1 after 36 years working in education.

Karcich had worked in sales and marketing before deciding to enter the education field. He was a teacher for three years before moving into the school administration realm.

When Smith was asked why Karcich will be paid more than Rocco, he said, "That's the salary we negotiated with him. If he felt it wasn't enough, he could have walked away."

Would Karcich have walked away if offered less?

"I can't answer that," Smith said. "We felt it was a fair figure. We think he's an outstanding candidate who will do a great job. We put a lot of hours into what was an extensive process and our decision was unanimous."

When asked if the salary is comparable to what he earns in Paramus, Smith said, "Yes, I think it's similar. Administration salaries in Bergen tend to be higher. Even in Monmouth they're a little higher."

Smith said he spoke to administrators Karcich had worked for as well as Paramus Police Chief Chris Brock.

"Everyone gave him good references," Smith said. "The police chief used to be the juvenile officer at the high school for 10 years. He said the police used to be at the high school all the time, but that once Mr. Karcich took over, they were there a lot less. The chief spoke very highly of him."

Karcich improved student attendance, reduced the number of disciplinary referrals and improved Advanced Placement testing at Paramus, Smith said.

Smith said he had not known Karcich before he applied for the job and came in for his first interview.

Smith said Rocco is helping Karcich through a transition period during part of August and that he believes the new principal will be ready when the students come back to school.

Paramus High School, with 1,400 students, is larger than the Borough High School of about 1,000 students.

Karcich graduated from LeHigh University with a Bachelor's degree in International Business and also has a Masters degree in Education Leadership, a requirement for a school principal's job, from Farleigh Dickinson University.

Karcich does not have a doctorate degree, but that was not a job requirement, Smith said.

Karcich is scheduled to have an informal meet and greet session with high school parents from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Aug. 13 at the high school's media center, Smith said.

Karcich said he has already put his home in Emerson on the market and that he and his wife are eager to move down to the Shore area with their children, ages 4 and 1, as soon as possible.

Karcich said his business experience includes working as a salesperson and managing a sales team, which helped him develop good communication skills that have been valuable working in education.

See a related story posted on Tuesday afternoon by Paramus Patch.

In a video interview published on Paramus Patch in February, Karcich talked about his job history, why he moved from the business world into education, ongoing efforts to improve academic performance at Paramus High School and his volunteer work as a wrestling official.

Max Almenas at Paramus Patch contributed to this story.