New Bridgewater-Raritan school superintendent named

New school superintendent spent the past five years as Nutley School District Superintendent.

Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education names third School Superintendent in past three years. (File photo)

BRIDGEWATER -- The Bridgewater-Raritan Regional Board of Education named former Nutley School District Superintendent Russell M. Lazovick as its new superintendent during Tuesday's board meeting.

Lazovick, who spent the past five years as superintendent in  Nutley, is the district's third superintendent in the past three years. He'll begin on July 1.

Lazovick, who signed a five-year contract with a $177,500 salary, replaces interim superintendent Dr. Daniel Silvia, who had held the post since Jan. 3. Silvia was standing in for former superintendent Victor P. Hayek, who resigned in September after just over a year on the job to take an undisclosed post in California.

The Bridgewater-Raritan school district has 11 schools serving nearly 9,000 students. Hayek had replaced Michael Schilder, who retired in June 2013.

"I am well aware of the excellent reputation the school district has earned," said Lazovick, who lives in Branchburg, in a statement. "I know the communities of Bridgewater and Raritan are committed to the mission of the district and that the administrators, faculty, and staff have the highest expectations for themselves and their students. It is exciting to join a district with this much energy and passion."

Lazovick, a native of Wayne, attended Boston University, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in International Relations and a Master's Degree in Education, said the district in a release.

Russell, 40, began his career in education as a teacher of Social Studies, English, and English for Language Learners in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2001, he returned to New Jersey to teach high school English, Theater, and Public Speaking in the New Brunswick Public School District, where he stayed until 2009, the release said.

From 2009 until 2011, Lazovick served as the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction in the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, the release said.

In May 2011, Lazovick was named superintendent in Nutley. While there, he implemented their first five-year strategic plan and initiated new processes for instructional technology, budget development, staffing and professional development, the release said.