The Nutley Board of Education is expected to appoint Mr. Kent Bania Superintendent of Schools at its June 27th meeting. Mr. Bania’s contract has been approved by the County Superintendent and he will officially take on this role on July 1, 2022, succeeding Dr. Julie Glazer who leaves the district on June 30th.

A search firm, led by Ronald Bolandi, and the Board of Education began the process of finding and hiring the next Nutley Superintendent on February 28, 2022. After community and district meetings, a community survey, advertisements for the Superintendent role, Mr. Bania was chosen from 27 applicants.

“We gathered important information from the community meetings and our survey that Ron Bolandi spearheaded, helping us decipher the needs of the district and the attributes of the next Superintendent,” said Mr. Daniel Carnicella, President of the Board of Education. “Our most important role as trustees is to hire and support the Superintendent of Schools. Mr. Bania has a deep and extensive knowledge of the Nutley Public Schools and community and is a forward thinker in the world of education. He is ready to lead the district.”

Mr. Bania was Acting Superintendent this spring and, since 2020, has been Nutley’s Assistant Superintendent of Schools. Mr. Bania joined the district’s Central Office in the fall of 2016 in the role of Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, 6-12.

“I began my career in education 23 years ago in Nutley,” Mr. Bania said. “To now have the opportunity to lead the district, is incredibly unique and a tremendous honor. I have lasting relationships within the district and the community and I am looking forward to working with our administrative team, principals, coordinators, teachers, students, and the Board to carry the district into the future.”

During Mr. Bania’s tenure as a Central Office administrator, Nutley High School transitioned to the rotating block schedule and the district pivoted to virtual instruction during the COVID pandemic. In addition, the district utilized and organized grant monies to upgrade air quality, extend learning spaces, increase mental health services, add staff in critical areas to extend the learning day and provide summer academies for support. Mr. Bania, in conjunction with Mrs. Janine Loconsolo, created and led monthly virtual parent academies for information regarding the standards-based report card, HIB policy and procedure, social and emotional learning initiatives, updates to the social studies curriculum and program, security updates, and the district’s gifted and talented program.  

From 2009 through 2016, Mr. Bania was Nutley’s Science Coordinator. In this role, he was a member of the strategic plan development team, the primary contact for hiring science department staff, and responsible for providing professional development and instruction strategies for the science department.

Mr. Bania began his career in education as a science teacher at Nutley High School and John Walker Middle School in 1999. In addition, Mr. Bania coached lacrosse at Nutley High School and Montclair State University. 

Mr. Bania holds his BS in Environmental Science from Cook College/Rutgers University and his MS in Biology/Science Education from Montclair State University.  He also holds his MA in Educational Leadership from Lamar University and his New Jersey Superintendent certificate. He lives in Essex County with his wife and their two young daughters. 

The Board of Education will host a reception for both Mr. Bania and Dr. Glazer in the Nutley High School Courtyard on Monday, June 27th at 6PM. The Board meeting will follow in the NHS Auditorium at 7:15PM.