New Superintendent Chosen for Parsippany School District

The Parsippany-Troy Hills School District has appointed a new superintendent of schools after a months-long search.

Scott Rixford, most recently serving as the interim Executive County Superintendent for Bergen and Passaic Counties, was chosen from a list of seven final candidates, according to statement released by the board of education Friday morning.

Rixford will replace current interim superintendent John Fitzsimmons, who stepped in when longtime chief Leroy Seitz retired in 2013.

“Our selection process cast a wide net resulting in seven highly-qualified candidates,” the statement said. “We narrowed the field down to three, before unanimously selecting Mr. Rixford. We congratulate Scott on his appointment, and we are confident that his vast experience, deep knowledge, unwavering dedication, and unquestionable character will bring further stability, integrity and academic growth to our district.”

Rixford was previously the superintendent in the Woodland Park School District, and former principal and assistant superintendent in the Paterson School District. 

Rixford's contract, made available Friday morning, is set with a start date of July 1, 2014 and ends on June 30, 2019 – lasting five years. The full contract can be seen here. 

His salary will be $175,000 annually, as set by state law in accordance to the size of the Parsippany school district.