New School Superintendent Welcomed In Manchester

Superintendent John Berenato (Photo courtesy Manchester Schools)

  MANCHESTER – Teachers, students, parents and administrators welcomed John Berenato as the district’s new superintendent during a recent Board of Education meeting. He previously served as Assistant Superintendent of the Little Egg Harbor school district.

  Berenato was approved by a unanimous vote. Board member Melanie Biscardi, who served as chair of the Superintendent Committee, explained how he was chosen.

  She noted that the search began “with a needs assessment questionnaire that was posted on our website and our town’s website. It asked what are the most important issues that we as a school district are concerned about. Your answers are what drove our search. You told us and we had that in front of us at all times. We know how important this decision is for our students and staff.”

Superintendent John Berenato addresses the Board of Education. (Photo by Bob Vosseller)

  Biscardi said the committee consisted of the members who were “non-conflicted (with no relatives who are staff members). We are parents with children in this school district and because of this we have a vested interest.”

  The Committee read through numerous resumes, essays and interviewed around 20 candidates. “We all agreed on Mr. John Berenato. Why did we as a committee choose him? To begin with, we saw that he had a plethora of knowledge as a former first grade and fourth grade inclusion teacher. He is aware of our at-risk students and how we can help them. He knows that we need to remediate and accelerate all of our learners, all the while being mindful of our budget,” Biscardi added.

  She said Berenato will be looking at chronic absenteeism, math and language arts and will examine dual enrollment and the possible addition of academies within the high school “He would like to do more with the Joint Base. He sees how early education from pre-k through 3rd grades, middle and high school grades are truly valuable,” Biscardi added.

  He wants to look at shared services for us to save money but also bring in revenue to our district. He is well versed in the use of technology. He wants to listen to the staff, students and families of this great community and see how we can make this district even better than what it is today. He truly takes pride in what he does and it was definitely evident in our interviews.

  Berenato started as a Supervisor of Curriculum in Springfield Township where he assisted in providing leadership for preschool through 6th grade educational programs. He managed the collection and analysis of student achievement data.

Superintendent John Berenato receives a welcome package from student representatives during a recent Board of Education meeting. (Photo by Bob Vosseller)

  “He observed and evaluated staff. He collaborated with district literacy coaches to identify needs and developed support cycles for staff. He delivered in-service programs. He learned how to help the military families that were stationed at Joint Base,” Biscardi added.

  He served as a supervisor and then Director of Curriculum in Little Egg Harbor School District, a pre-k through 6th grade district. During this time, Little Egg entered into a shared service agreement with Pinelands Regional School District (a 7-12th grade district) where he served as Director of Math and Science and became Assistant Superintendent of Little Egg.

  “Mr. Berenato was able to not only have shared services but also bring in revenue to the district as well. John was able to work very closely with Superintendent Melissa McCooley. He also wrote many grants. He provided ongoing open lines of communication with the community and the staff. With a nickname of 24, Mr. Beranato wants to take us to the next level,” Biscardi said.

  Former Superintendent David Trethaway retired after 14 years as the district’s educational leader. He received many accolades and best wishes on his retirement.