August 19, 2026

Dear Glen Rock Community,

As summer continues and we prepare to welcome our students and staff back to school, I am pleased to provide an update regarding District leadership and our superintendent search.

As many of you may have been following through the Superintendent Search page on the Glen Rock Public Schools website, our search for Glen Rock’s next permanent Superintendent is well underway. The Board remains on schedule and looks forward to interviewing candidates next month as we continue this important process.

At the same time, the Board recognizes the importance of ensuring strong and experienced leadership for our District beginning September 1, 2026. After interviewing a number of highly qualified candidates for the position of Interim Superintendent, the Board of Education is pleased to announce that Mr. Kenneth Rota has been selected to serve as Interim Superintendent of the Glen Rock Public School District.

This is an important period of transition for Glen Rock, and our priority was to identify an interim leader who could provide stability and continuity while maintaining the high expectations our community has for its schools.

Throughout our interview process, the Board identified several qualities that we believe are particularly important for Glen Rock at this moment:

• Experienced and steady leadership with the ability to guide a high-performing school district through a period of transition.

• A commitment to academic excellence and student achievement, ensuring that our focus remains firmly on providing an exceptional educational experience for every student.

• Strong communication and relationship-building skills to foster trust and productive partnerships among students, staff, families, administrators, the Board, and the broader Glen Rock community.

• Collaborative leadership that recognizes the strength and expertise of our administrative team, educators, and staff and works effectively alongside them.

• A clear understanding of governance and the Board-Superintendent partnership, including the ability to work constructively with a nine-member Board representing different perspectives while maintaining alignment around the District’s mission and priorities.

• A thoughtful approach to organizational stability and continuity, addressing the needs of the District while respecting the appropriate role of an interim leader and preparing the organization for a successful transition to its next permanent Superintendent.

• Visibility and engagement within our schools and community, with a willingness to listen, learn, build relationships, and become an active presence throughout the District.

Through our conversations with Mr. Rota, the Board was impressed by the experience, perspective, and leadership approach he will bring to Glen Rock. We are confident that he possesses the skill set necessary to support our administrators and staff, maintain organizational stability, and help ensure that our students continue to learn and achieve at the high level our community expects.

Importantly, this transition does not change who we are as a school district or what we expect of ourselves. Glen Rock remains a community with exceptional students, dedicated educators and staff, engaged families, and a longstanding commitment to educational excellence. Our responsibility during this transition is to protect those strengths while thoughtfully preparing for the next chapter of District leadership.

We are deeply grateful to Mr. Gregory Van Nest for his leadership and service as Acting Superintendent during this period, and we look forward to his return to his role as Assistant Superintendent of Innovation and Operations. His experience, institutional knowledge, and leadership will continue to provide important continuity and strengthen our educational and operational work as he partners with Mr. Rota and the broader administrative team.

We look forward to formally welcoming Mr. Rota to Glen Rock on September 1 and introducing him more fully to our students, staff, families, and community in the weeks ahead. We will also continue to keep the community informed as the search for our permanent Superintendent progresses.

I hope our families, students, and staff enjoy the remaining weeks of summer. We are excited to welcome everyone back soon for another successful school year.

Sincerely,

Dr. Damali Robinson
President
Glen Rock Board of Education

c:   Board of Education