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NetPinnacle features Stafford Township Superintendent George Chidiac as a featured executive. Providing valuable insight into the career development of an administrative leader in education.

At the Stafford Township Board of Education meeting of June 6, George Chidiac was approved as superintendent of schools to lead the school district beginning July 1.

George Chidiac, of the Bayville section of Berkeley Township, was approved as the new superintendent of the Stafford Township School District by the school board Thursday.

Stafford Superintendent George Chidiac noted that this was a valuable addition to the district, stating that LaGuardia “is somebody with a lot of experience.”

That item was the attendance of Superintendent George Chidiac in a doctoral program on educational leadership. Payment of the program is part of Chidiac’s contract terms and is expected to cost about $2,400 per credit, according to Business Administrator Lourdes LaGuardia. Chidiac said the program is for two years, and after the meeting confirmed it is a 18-credit program.

Despite the fact the Stafford Township Board of Education had years ago negotiated Superintendent George Chidiac’s contract to include a provision for him to acquire his doctorate degree in educational leadership, something changed between then and now and recently caused Chidiac some reservation in going forth with that plan.

Last Thursday, March 5, Stafford Township School District Superintendent George Chidiac didn’t wait on other districts to start taking limited action to help prevent the possibility of any of the district’s students or staff from contracting the virus. Once a confirmed coronavirus case in the state made it to the forefront, Chidiac called for the cancellation of multiple field trips scheduled for this month.

On Saturday, March 14, Stafford Schools Superintendent, George Chidiac announced that the Stafford School District will be closing schools for a two-week period beginning immediately until March 30.

This announcement comes just hours after the State of New Jersey announced on Friday afternoon that “the closure of all schools in order to mitigate exposure during the COVID-19 situation was inevitable.”

“Through my correspondence with the Ocean County Health Department, it’s clear the cases of coronavirus are rising, doubling each day, and knowing that is the case I wanted to give our teachers and parents time to prepare,” said Superintendent George Chidiac. “The situation’s getting worse, not better, so we needed to take more precautionary measures.”

Stafford Schools Superintendent George Chidiac reports that the district is providing educational materials for students on Mondays and meals for free and reduced lunch families on Mondays between 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The district provides enough breakfast and lunch for the five-day school week.  Those educational materials include 1:1 devices for the students who lack computers at home.

Due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19, several important changes recently were made within the Stafford Township School District, including a date change for this month’s regular board of education meeting, according to Stafford Township Superintendent George Chidiac.

Despite a larger cut in state aid compared to the one the district sustained for this year and a slight increase to the tax rate, the Stafford Township Board of Education unanimously approved the district’s 2020-21 budget during its public hearing on April 30.

Following its regular monthly meeting – conducted remotely with all board members connected via Zoom and streamed live on the district website – the board then heard reports by Stafford Township Superintendent George Chidiac and Business Administrator Lourdes LaGuardia regarding the upcoming budget.