the staff of the Ridgewood blog
HACKENSACK, NJ — In a surprising and controversial move, the Hackensack Board of Education has suspended Superintendent Dr. Thomas McBryde, Jr. just six months into his three-year contract. The decision comes amid a wave of administrative shakeups and growing concern from community members, school staff, and education advocates.
Dr. McBryde, who took office in January 2024, was Hackensack’s first Black superintendent and came with an extensive background in educational leadership, including roles in New York City and Connecticut. He was previously the deputy superintendent of excellence, equity, and inclusion for Norwalk Public Schools in Connecticut.
🔍 Sudden Leadership Shift Raises Eyebrows
Attorney Jason Nunnermacker, representing the Hackensack Board of Education, confirmed McBryde’s suspension but declined to elaborate on the reasons behind the decision. On Wednesday, the board is expected to vote on whether to appoint Andrea Oates-Parchment, an assistant superintendent and longtime district educator, as acting superintendent.
McBryde was reportedly ordered to vacate his office immediately, a move former Board President Scott James-Vickery described as unprofessional and indicative of a deeper conflict.
🧑🏽🏫 Staff Contracts Not Renewed
McBryde’s suspension follows the board’s controversial decision not to renew the contracts of several administrators he had recommended for continued employment, including:
-
Eric Boateng, Principal of Fairmount Elementary
-
Daniel Sass, Principal of Hackensack Middle School (Grades 7–8)
-
Communications Director
-
Human Resources Director
-
School Business Administrator
The lack of explanation has left many in the school community frustrated and confused.
“There’s been no explanation. It’s been too many disruptions into the children’s lives,” said Abby Martinez-Bojos, PTA President at Fairmount Elementary.
🗳️ Board Turmoil and Resignations
Tensions within the school board have been escalating since the November 2023 school board election, which saw three new members — Jennifer Harris, Leila Amirhamzeh, and Eugina “Gina” Gilmore — defeat incumbents. Shortly afterward, James-Vickery resigned from the board, citing concern over internal dynamics and a warning to the public to “keep your eyes open.”
More recently, trustee Lissette Cordero-Outen also resigned, saying she was blindsided by the board’s actions and felt silenced.
“I’m not seeing transparency; I’m seeing deliberate deception,” said Cordero-Outen. “At the end of the day, all our kids are going to lose.”
⚖️ Legal Implications on the Horizon
Removing a superintendent is not a simple process, and McBryde’s three-year contract could lead to a legal battle over severance. According to James-Vickery, any termination will likely involve court proceedings and potential payout of the remaining contract.
The board has not yet held a public vote on McBryde’s employment, although it met behind closed doors on June 5 and June 11 to discuss personnel matters.
✊🏽 Community Response and Calls for Transparency
The Bergen County Black Caucus voiced its concerns publicly, criticizing the recent removal of multiple administrators of color and warning against the influence of politics on educational stability.
“When politics and personal agendas take over, our students lose,” the organization posted on Facebook. “Constant turnover hurts stability, and students pay the price.”
Tell your story #TheRidgewoodblog , #Indpendentnews, #information, #advertise, #guestpost, #affiliatemarketing,#NorthJersey, #NJ , #News, #localnews, #bergencounty, #sponsoredpost, #SponsoredContent, #contentplacement , #linkplacement, Email: Onlyonesmallvoice@gmail.com
His resume is very thin, never ran a school system, but he had a single qualification, mentioned several times in this article.
According to the Bergen Record he was previously:
– the superintendent the deputy superintendent for Norwalk Public Schools in Connecticut
– worked in New York City public schools in Brooklyn and Manhattan as a principal and deputy superintendent, after beginning his career in education through the Teach for America program.
Dr. Thomas McBryde, Deputy Superintendent of Excellence, Equity and Inclusion for Norwalk Public Schools.
Fixed it for you.
Corruption is just plain old corruption, unless the person is a minority. Then it’s DEI.
“was previously the deputy superintendent of excellence, equity, and inclusion for Norwalk Public Schools in Connecticut”
Couldn’t have anything to do with this firing, could it?
The influence of politics on education…
Precisely.
DEI hire
Corruption is just corruption, unless that person is a minority. Then it must be DEI.
His resume is all smoke and mirrors. He briefly served as superintendent of district 19 Brooklyn NYCDOE in similarly, oddly short-lived fashion. His swift appointment into this superintendent position was very much cloak and dagger, lacking any transparency to speak towards whatsoever, and seemingly unresolvable by any means of merit or due process beyond otherwise plain to all to see: political cronyism. In his, coincidentally enough, similarly brief tenure held within district 19, beyond what empty, soulless public bloviating which is to be his only hallmark to speak of, he personally worked hand in hand with a former principal of PS 290 Brooklyn Juan Morel Campos, Dr. Willena George, whom was outed as embezzling from PTA funds and state funding (overcharging for cost of yearbooks to parents in tandem with PTA leader and pocketing the balance between actual cost for decades, and working with same PTA leader’s husband as a contractor for yearly end of school block party costs, similarly pocketing the balance between grant money extended and the fake invoices generated which overstated actual costs of rentals/operations – both transgressions accordingly. Sum total of improprieties netting her with estimates of 100k+ in stolen community funds over the years.) Mr. McBryde assisted in dusting this under the rug, helping to then appoint Dr. Willena George to a position working for CSA, an advocacy group for supervisors and administrators in collective bargaining agreements et al. within NYC. Irony much? Beyond that, Mr. McBryde then was certain to quickly usher in the next criminal principal into PS 290, Dr. Willena George’s best friend and appointed assistant principal, Brigitte Newell, following an overnight procedure that afforded zero transparency or a shred of certainty the election was valid. Brigitte Newell still works as acting principal of PS 290, where she has been committing the same federal and state crimes as her mentor before her for over 7 years now, she even keeps a painting of Dr. Willena George’s face prominently displayed on her office wall at all times. Imagine now just how much more there is to be learned about Mr. McBryde and his crony network of ne’er-do-wells! I alone could go on for paragraphs…
This blog post was shared with me by a member of the 290 school community. Thank you so much for informing us all! Many of us around the community had heard rumors about former principal Dr. George’s criminal activity and have sought justice through internal bureaucratic channels over the years and have been consistently stonewalled each step of the way. It is a mafioso. You have just renewed our hope and recourse for continuing! I have just checked the resource you provided for viewing yearly earnings/salary of DOE employees, and I note that Dr. George was made “assigned principal” status in the year of 2017 when Mr. McBryde covered up her felonious activities and instituted that moron Brigitte Newell currently disgracing our children’s educations under DOE’s guidance! I have learned “assigned principal” is a designation referring to a principal placed on administrative leave or home assignment. This is a “temporary” measure where an employee is removed from their usual work environment while investigations, disciplinary actions, or other circumstances are addressed. How can this be a “temporary” measure when she has been “assigned principal” for closing in on a decade now! She has been earning full, yearly increasing salary with unstated bonuses every year since her dismissal! Here is the data:
https://www.seethroughny.net/payrolls/373335182
Her last year of principal status in 2016 she took home $154,507. In 2024, she took home $228,380 (when her rate of pay was $198,459 – that is $29,921 in unstated bonuses alone!!). How in the world can we permit this to go on?!? This woman was skimming $10 or $20 per parent, whatever the exact figures may have been, on individual “stated” yearbook costs for crying out loud! What an absolute disgusting, wretched, hideous figure this person is. It is no wonder she and Brigitte Newell, the current equally hideous principal, are best friends. I have even seen Dr. George inside the school on many, many occasions over the years after she was surreptitiously removed in 2016… What in the world is going on with the DOE?!? I am sharing this all with the parents of our school community and demanding justice. No longer will bureaucratic channels prevent us from obtaining a small part of this and leadership reform at our school of PS 290. The teachers there are all great by and large, the administration from the principal to the assistant principals are human garbage! We will demand change and use every last channel for publicity and legal recourse beginning NOW.
Thank you so much for your post!
His resume is all smoke and mirrors. He briefly served as superintendent of district 19 Brooklyn NYCDOE in similarly, oddly short-lived fashion. His swift appointment into this superintendent position was very much cloak and dagger, lacking any transparency to speak towards whatsoever, and seemingly unresolvable by any means of merit or due process beyond otherwise plain to all to see: political cronyism. In his, coincidentally enough, similarly brief tenure held within district 19, beyond what empty, soulless public bloviating which is to be his only hallmark to speak of, he personally worked hand in hand with a former principal of PS 290 Brooklyn Juan Morel Campos, Dr. Willena George, whom was outed as embezzling from PTA funds and state funding (overcharging for cost of yearbooks to parents in tandem with PTA leader and pocketing the balance between actual cost for decades, and working with same PTA leader’s husband as a contractor for yearly end of school block party costs, similarly pocketing the balance between grant money extended and the fake invoices generated which overstated actual costs of rentals/operations – both transgressions accordingly. Sum total of improprieties netting her with estimates of 100k+ in stolen community funds over the years.) Mr. McBryde assisted in dusting this under the rug, helping to then appoint Dr. Willena George to a position working for CSA, an advocacy group for supervisors and administrators in collective bargaining agreements et al. within NYC. Irony much? Beyond that, Mr. McBryde then was certain to quickly usher in the next criminal principal into PS 290, Dr. Willena George’s best friend and appointed assistant principal, Brigitte Newell, following an overnight procedure that afforded zero transparency or a shred of certainty the election was valid. Brigitte Newell still works as acting principal of PS 290, where she has been committing the same federal and state crimes as her mentor before her for over 7 years now, she even keeps a painting of Dr. Willena George’s face prominently displayed on her office wall at all times. Imagine just how much more there is to be learned about Mr. McBryde and his crony network of nere-do-wells!
Principal Sass is a Ridgewood guy. Young dad. Has kids in RPS. Interviewed at GWMS last year and was finalist. Was a strong candidate. Shame he got caught in this but would be good hire in Ridgewood.
Maybe people should look into all the LAWSUITS against Principal Eric Boateng. In his 3 years 2 of those are civil cases.