SOMA Schools Assistant Superintendent Leaving for New Gig

An assistant superintendent from the South Orange Maplewood Schools district is leaving for a new gig. 

Dr. Lydia Furnari will be the new Superintendent of the Franklin Lakes K-8 school district, the Board of Education announced last month.

Furnari is currently the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction for the South Orange and Maplewood School District. She will begin in July, replacing outgoing Superintendent Frank Romano, who is headed to Ridgefield schools.

In the statement, the Board outlined Furnari’s other credentials, which include a Bachelor of Arts degree in music education and a Master of Arts degree in administration and supervision from Montclair State University, and a Doctor of Education degree in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University.  

Furnari previously served as the Director of Curriculum with the Department of Instruction with the Montclair Board of Education and served as a principal and a director at the elementary and secondary levels for the Elizabeth Board of Education, having opened a new school facility as a building principal.  

During her teaching career in the Montclair Public Schools, Furnari was also named Essex County Teacher of the Year.

She is also an adjunct professor at Caldwell University where she teaches courses in administration and supervision in the graduate department of education.

Furnari will remain at the South Orange Maplewood School District until July 1.