Hoboken Schools Superintendent Leaves for Wayne Post

The Hoboken School District's superintendent is leaving to head a district closer to his Passaic County home.

Dr. Mark Toback was appointed Thursday as the new superintendent for the Wayne Township Public Schools. The Pompton Plains resident will begin his new post on Aug. 11.

Toback will replace Raymond Gonzalez, who resigned effective Aug. 1 to take the superintendent position in the Westwood school district where he was once a principal.

Toback has been the Hoboken superintendent the past three years after serving for five years as the chief school administrator at Sussex County Technical School in Sparta.

"I'm excited and honored to be joining the exemplary professionals who make Wayne such a respected education community," Toback said in a statement released Thursday night by the Wayne school district. "A district as large and vibrant as Wayne is an exciting opportunity for any educational leader."

Toback withdrew himself last year as a candidate for a superintendent position in New Hampshire, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader. Toback declined to comment why he changed his mind before even being interviewed for the position, the report said.

Toback previously held various administrative posts in the Leonia school district—vice-principal at the high school, principal of the middle school, and business administrator. Toback, who began his career as a math teacher, also served as both a principal and vice principal in the Haledon district.

Toback holds a doctoral degree from Rutgers University, and a master's degree from William Paterson University. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Delaware.

The Wayne school district touted Toback's track record of developing a variety of successful initiatives, including enhancing classroom technology, creating unique partnerships with post-secondary institutions, and improving standardized test scores.

“With Dr. Toback's exceptional and diverse background, the board of education is confident he'll excel as the new superintendent of Wayne Township Public Schools," Wayne Board of Education President Laura Stinziano said. "I'm extremely enthusiastic about the positive impact he'll have on so many of our young people."