Fay Ruotolo Leaving

Fay Ruotolo, NPS' Human Resources Director, will be leaving the district at the end of June according to a story in The Hour.

In the story,  Superintendent Susan Marks says she will  begin a search for a new Director next week and that person must hold a teaching certificate. "My experience is that position should be certified because the bulk of your hiring duties are for certified staff," she said.

Ruotolo has been in charge of Human Resources for close to 10 years. In recent years, she has come under criticism for her mishandling of several personnel matters including the hiring of Stacy Lore, a fake autism therapist. She was also criticized for the hiring of Dina McNelis, a substitute teacher with a history of abusive behavior towards students in this district and at other area schools. 

Last year the BOE voted 6 to 2 to renew Ruotolo's contract for one year for her $145,000 job, amid grumblings that no written evaluations had been conducted of her performance. The BOE added a requirement that written evaluation of Ruotolo be conducted within  six months time by Marks, which was conducted according to the article.

The departure of Ruotolo presents an opportunity for Marks to significantly influence the hiring of NPS teaching staff  and how evaluations are conducted. As a former Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources in Maryland, Marks herself was responsible for personnel matters. As such, she is perfectly positioned to make this important hire.