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Ravally Named County ‘Superintendent Of The Year’

Schools Superintendent John Ravally has been named the Somerset County Superintendent of the Year. (File photo.)

Schools Superintendent John Ravally has been named the Somerset County Superintendent of the Year by the Somerset County Association of School Administrators, the first time a Franklin Township Superintendent has been so honored.

Ravally was given the honor at the SCASA’s June 14 meeting.

Nominated and chosen by one’s peers, the County Superintendent of the Year award is based on the work accomplished by the administrator in recent years, according to a press release from the school district.

“I am honored to have been chosen by my fellow Somerset County Superintendents,” Ravally said in the release. “This recognition truly is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of the amazing administrators, teachers and support staff that I am blessed to work with at Franklin Township Public Schools.”

Board of Education president Nancy LaCorte said the board is “so proud of Dr. Ravally being named Somerset County’s Superintendent of the Year. He was also recognized in May by NJTESOL, the statewide bi-literacy program as Superintendent of the Year for having the best bilingual and ESL program in NJ.”

“If you were to ask the staff they would agree with the Board of Education that John truly is the best superintendent,” LaCorte said.

Among the district’s recent accomplishments under Ravally was the final implementation of the district’s One Less Move Referendum, which included the opening of a new elementary school, grade level reconfiguration, new district attendance areas and a new elementary school schedule.

Other areas of focus this year included ensuring a more equitable access to Advanced Placement courses and the expansion of the district’s pre-k program, according to the release.

According to Bernards Township schools Superintendent Nick Markarian, former Somerset County Superintendent of the Year and President of the Somerset County Association of School Administrators, it was Ravally’s advocacy for the district as well as his strong communication skills that helped to earn him the distinction.

“Dr. Ravally is an outstanding candidate to represent Somerset County, New Jersey as our County Superintendent of the Year,” Markarian said in a statement. “Dr. Ravally has earned this distinction through almost 30 years of dedicated service – of which 17 have been as a superintendent.”

“Dr. Ravally is a creative and passionate leader who is highly dedicated to his students and school community,” he said in the statement. “Dr. Ravally is a strong communicator, regularly filming himself to issue district updates to his school community. Dr. Ravally is committed to his craft and also communicates regularly with his peers to support them with professionalism.”

“Dr. Ravally is also a huge advocate for the needs of his district and students, regularly meeting with leaders in the State of New Jersey to represent what is most important in educating the children,” Markarian said in his statement. “Dr. Ravally’s engagement with the state, his community and his peers is something all of the superintendents of Somerset County, New Jersey recognize, admire and respect and we are proud to have Dr. Ravally representing our county as Superintendent of the Year.”

Ravally is now eligible for consideration as state Superintendent of the Year. That award will be conferred later in the year.

Earlier this year, Ravally was named the 2019 Seal of Bi-literacy Superintendent of the Year by the NJ Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages/NJ Bilingual Educators organization, due to Franklin Township’s commitment to bi-literacy under his leadership and the district’s work in the ESL/Bilingual and World Languages Programs, according to the release.

Ravally received his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University. He began his career in education as a high school teacher. His past administrative experiences include assistant principal, principal and the Superintendent of the Point Pleasant Beach Schools for 9 ½ years. He has led several multi-million dollar renovation projects and has implemented initiatives in the Intervention and Referral Services and Special Education areas.

He began his work in Franklin Township Public Schools in July of 2015. In that time span the district has built its seventh elementary school; implemented a grade re-configuration, which resulted in one middle school program housed on two campuses; and re-mapped its attendance areas. A new elementary school schedule, increased extracurricular opportunities for middle school students, and a focus on social emotion learning and culturally responsive teaching have also been areas of focus in the district under Dr. Ravally’s leadership. Communication with parents and the larger Franklin community through Town Hall Meetings, the use of a video magazine, Focus on Franklin, as well as contributions to the Franklin Times Township newsletter help keep all stakeholders aware of the district’s work.

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