Franciso Duran, Trenton schools superintendent since 2012, is resigning effective Oct. 2.
TRENTON - Trenton public schools Superintendent Francisco Duran abruptly resigned Monday from one of the state's most beleaguered school districts just weeks into a new school year.
Duran, the superintendent since 2012, sent an email to staffers late Monday saying he was stepping down effective Oct. 2.
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Lucy Feria, one of his assistant superintendents, will be the interim schools chief, beginning Oct. 5.
Jason Redd, Trenton School Board president, said Duran had accepted a new position, but said he did not know where. A call to Duran's office was not immediately returned Tuesday.
Redd said the board has voted to put together a transition plan and is confident in Feria's ability to lead the district beginning Oct. 3.
"We believe she's going to bring success to the district," Redd said.
The school board on Monday also appointed Wilfredo Ortiz as Interim Chief Academic Officer for the rest of the school year, according to a letter sent by the board Tuesday to the state Department of Education.
Ortiz is " a well-respected administrator who will bring stability" in his role supporting building principals and staff, the letter said.
The school board will immediately begin looking for a permanent superintendent, the letter said.
In Duran's email to staffers, he said it was an "honor and pleasure" to have been superintendent of Trenton schools.
"I am proud of the work that we have done to serve the students, parents, community, and staff of the Trenton Public School system," Duran wrote in the email.
Duran said in the email that his mission for the city schools was to close the opportunity gap for students, and increase academic achievement at the same time.
"Thanks to the work of such a great staff, we have seen growth in this area and the district is on-track to continue in these improvements," he wrote.
Duran also touted that his tenure saw an increased the number of students having access to the arts and music and more athletics opportunities for students.
He also wrote that based on 2015 preliminary data, graduation rates have increased 20.8 percent, to 68.4 percent.
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Duran's 3-year contract, which paid him a $192,474 salary last year, expired in June. A new contract was negotiated but had not yet been approved, officials said.
Under the expired contract, Duran also was eligible for merit-based bonuses, earning him 3.33 percent of his base salary or 2.5 percent for each merit benchmark reached, according to the contract.
The agreement also includes 12 sick days, 20 vacation days and four personal days and allowances for limited payouts for unused sick and vacation time and use of a car for conducting school business, according to the contract.
It was not immediately clear if the district owes Duran for unused sick and vacation time.
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.
