Tuesday night, the River Valley School Board accepted the retirement of superintendent Philip Martell.
Martell will step down after six years of service as the district’s superintendent. He previously served the district as the business manager consultant from May to June of 2020, and was a key part of the foundation of the district’s STEAM academy in 2024 and has earned multiple state and national recognitions. He has also overseen the building of the new football stadium.
In a statement during the meeting, board president Rick Harper said that Martell always focused on the students first.
During public comment, former board member Melanie Pantalone was not as complimentary, saying she did not trust Martell or members of his administration with financial concerns.
Martel is leaving the district to take a position in the private sector. Details on the retirement package have not been released as the agreement has not been formally accepted and executed by Martell. Once that happens, the deal will be made public and the search for a new superintendent will begin.
In other business, the board rejected purchases of two sanitary floor polisher burnishers from Fagan Sanitary Supply at a combined cost of $27,190 and the purchase of a javelin runway from VASCO at a cost not to exceed $59,022. The rejection was based on the costs of the three purchases.
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